


Something Old, Something New

by InvalidUser1D



Category: Twisted (TV)
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, True Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-07
Updated: 2013-09-11
Packaged: 2017-12-22 16:57:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 60,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/915713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InvalidUser1D/pseuds/InvalidUser1D





	1. Chapter 1

The fact that all her brain allowed her to do was nap for 30 minutes throughout the night annoyed Lacey. She was sure that once her mother would see her, she'd fuss and complain about beauty sleep and its importance. But what seemed to bother her more than her unintentional all nighter was the large white ball gown hanging on the outside of her closet carefully confined in plastic from the dry cleaners.  How erratic she had become about this day truly made her ill in her mind and right in the pit of her stomach, which reminded her of the time she witnessed Tara Desai's lifeless body at the foot of his staircase in his house. Danny's house. 

 

She recalled the last time she had been there before they had moved out of their dorms at University at Buffalo, and to a small apartment in downtown Manhattan. It had literally been a year since the engagement and Lacey admired how Danny still celebrated and cherished their month-aversaries. Lacey sat up, her eyes heavy from how exhausted she had become and how deeply she had been over thinking, ever since she bought her wedding dress. Sure, she was engaged to Danny, her high school sweetheart, but did that really mean she was ready? Had she really been in love with him? Was she ready for this? Each day Lacey haunted herself with those questions, quizzing herself to make sure she was ready to fall into such a commitment. Yet, a question she had been so sure about in high school, gradually weakened its potency as she grew up, becoming an adult. 

 

She had to consider these things. She had no close female friends besides Jo and Phoebe, though Phoebe wasn't so keen on the idea of Lacey being involved with Danny. Her #1 option as a maid of honor was dead. And she was fine with it. Ok, maybe not so much the dead bestie issue, but most definitely having a small circle when it came to her bridal party. Yeah, just fine. 

 

She brought herself to the window, the same window she had looked out thinking about Danny last night. The same window she looked out when Danny came by to pick her up for prom. The same window she looked out when she said her last good-byes to Danny as a child. The same window she looked out when she saw her father, suitcase and all, vanish from her life with a few cliche phone calls here and there. The sky was lightening, a sure sign that daylight would come in about 30 minutes. To Lacey, early mornings were the best to experience. It was like experiencing something completely different, like watching Times Square turn from the city that never sleeps, to the city just waking up from late night partying. That kind of image made Lacey want to be an artist, though she knew her sky wouldn't be as captivating as this one. 

 

She moved gently across the creaky floorboard to the door, tiptoeing outside. She figured she had to catch a few more Z's before officially calling her last night as a bachelorette awful. But, she knew that one thing was wrong. How she felt right now, hours before her wedding. When her mother would come downstairs, wondering why she's awake, she'd confess that she wasn't feeling good, and would get out of marrying Danny like she often tried to get out of going to school when she was younger. But how could you procrastinate your own wedding? Hell, she'll find a way.

 

She crept downstairs, the same stairs she crept down when she heard her parents arguing at night over bills, and Clara, and how they wanted Lacey in private school after Danny's inprisonment. She sat at the kitchen table, her hands in front of her, neatly polished, and moisturized, with a beautiful diamond on her left hand, ring finger. She turned it around, thinking, reminiscing on the time when this ring was once in a box,  for other eyes, before they met hers. 

 

_Danny had gotten a job with his mother, Karen, as her assistant. He had studied creative writing in college, with a few good grades, and very well put together recommendation letters from his high school. The school was reluctant, but invited him in, anyway, giving him only one fair warning that if he were to blow his chance of an education, he'd be gone for good. What Danny truthfully wanted, and successfully received, was an opportunity to share his side of the story, titled, "The Socio" with Lacey's help, of course. She was at home, unpacking her things that she had stored away in her dorm. Her parents had given her extra money for an apartment, to which both she and Danny contributed, without them knowing. Lacey's eyes peered at her laptop as she laid on the bed, upset and unsatisfied at her new deadline. She needed an instant article on the Do's and Don'ts of Wedding Gifting Etiquette, and helpful money Saving tips by Monday, two days from now to finally know if she could become a journalist, just to get by. Yet, her brain failed to please her with the inspiration she normally had. Perhaps the fight with Danny last week and plus his strange behavior led her to believe that she would, again, have to pack up clothes in those large, awkward boxes and they surely wouldn't be hers. She heard the front door open and close, knowing that the handsome grinch had finally come home. She closed her laptop and sighed, sitting in the middle of the bed, awaiting for his rude behavior, yet again, the third consecutive time this week. It was about five minutes before she heard his footsteps getting nearer and nearer to the bedroom. He stood in the doorway, arms folded across his chest as he stared at her. Lacey returned the look and raised an eyebrow._

 

_"Yeah?"_

 

_"Why are you looking at me like that?"_

 

_"Because you're being a complete jerk, Danny, do you get that? If you're going to break up with me, do it, because I don't think I can take anymore of your crap, okay?"_

 

_She watched as that trademark smirk grew on his face as he shook his head, leaving the room and walking back towards the front of the apartment. That infuriated Lacey. Not only was she being treated like his behavior was justified, but she was being brushed off as well?_

 

_"Don't you walk away from me, Danny Desai!" She shouted, rushing out of the room after him. She noticed that the lights were off, and Danny was nowhere to be found in the living room._

 

_She caught herself, keeping quiet as she walked towards the kitchen, seeing Danny standing there with roses and lavender smelling candles on the table, which was famous for aromatherapy in aiding for jittery nerves._

 

_Lacey stood there, thinking this were some pathetic and cheesy way to apologize for his behavior. That wouldn't cut it. No, not again. It had only been a week in this new apartment, and settling in wasn't easy. They were exploring the world beyond sneaking into each other's dorms, and stealing innocent kisses in class, and their own celebrations when it came to Danny that his novel was making its way to the top. Those were the happy times, those were the most memorable she had. Being trapped in Green Grove not only left a strain on their relationship, but a weight off of both their shoulders, knowing that further up in New York, most were oblivious to the scandal._

 

_He looked down at the flowers, and back to his girlfriend, extending a nervous arm to hand them to her. Unlike any other time, he lacked confidence. Something was off about him, extremely off. Though she had been slightly worried, she couldn't let that show through when she were supposed to be furious with him._

 

_"I'm sorry, Lacey. I've been quite an ass lately. I really am sorry," he turned to a seat at the table and pulled out the chair. "Have a seat."_

 

_Lacey eyed him, up and down. Some of his beautiful locks fell from his bun to his face. Lacey grabbed the flowers from him and put it on the kitchen counter defiantly._

 

_"If you think I'll swoon at your apology and apparent seance, you're mistaken." Danny chuckled at her sass and quickly became serious again. He knew what he had to do. And he had to do it quick._

 

_"Please, just sit down." He offered. Lacey hesitated, but marched quickly to the seat, sitting down with much attitude, as her arms were folded right in front of her chest._

 

_She couldn't help but blame herself for this. How she could let Danny get under her skin and under her clothes with slight ease, even after their arguments angered her. No more, she promised, ignoring the fact that she had actually started the argument. All she could remember was her being mad at Danny, screaming and yelling about something. She didn't even remember what they argued about, but she could remember Danny replying with smart remarks rather than returning the raised voice that she had. They were both too stubborn for their own good._

 

_She mustered up enough courage to reply back, slightly snapping at him._

 

“ _Happy?”_

 

_"Very," he placed his hands on her shoulders, massaging her, feeling how tense she was. He attempted to alleviate the stress, trying to relax her as he noticed how quiet she had gotten. "Does that feel good?"_

 

_Lacey hated to admit it, but it did, it really did. She licked her lips, trying to make herself not seem as vulnerable around him, though she failed terribly each time._

 

_"Pretty good." She spoke modestly, a shrug of her shoulders, to which Danny massaged, running his hands up her neck and to her temples._

 

_"Do you know why I've been a jerk?" He asked._

 

_"I can think of a few reasons."_

 

_Danny ran his hands down her back and massaged, feeling how loose she was getting by the touch of his hands, and the grasp of her waist as he trailed up and down her spine. Like putty in his hands. Her arms lowered from her chest and rested in her lap._

 

_"Well, I can't keep a secret, Lacey." Danny removed his hands from her body, taking two steps away from her._

 

_"What secret? And why'd you stop?" Lacey turned around, eyeing Danny who was planted right on the kitchen floor, one knee bent, the other on the floor as he held a velvet box in his hands._

 

_"I've been tense, myself, trying to know if this was the right time or not. I was stressed, wondering if you wanted this relationship or not, and the more we argued, the more I realized that if I'm arguing with you, it would be the best thing in the world if I argue with you as my wife. I don't want to lose you, Lacey. I love you. For the most part, getting you upset was unintentional, Lacey, but if you aren't too bent out of shape about your psycho boyfriend being a complete ass, will you make me the happiest man in the world?"_

 

_Lacey's eyes watered as she didn't know which step to take right now. The step to go and smack him in the face for working her up, or the step of simply just responding to this question with a simple answer that could change their lives for good._

 

_She stood up, holding onto the chair carefully, as her knees turned from being so sturdy, to being so jelly-like. Lacey focused on the ring, as it reflected the flames of the candles behind her in the dark kitchen. She could feel herself tremble as she got down on one knee as well, crashing her lips to his as he embraced her, his arms securing her slim figure against his. Lacey broke the kiss, looking into his eyes, as she smirked._

 

“ _Hmmm, subtle proposal.” She teased with a slight whisper._

 

“ _Well, I did notice that you weren't that extravagant that you'd want all eyes on you.”_

 

_He backed away from Lacey, as he revealed the ring to her._

 

“ _I hope you like it.” He piped innocently as he watched her reaction. She let a single tear fall from her eye to her cheek, as she allowed Danny to place the ring on her finger, as they shared yet another kiss. Lacey pushed Danny on the floor, and she laid on top of him, kissing him while playing with his hair as his hand rested on the small of her back._

 

“ _I love you.” They whispered in unison to one another, making them both laugh together, hoping that their marriage would be as happy as they were, together, right there, twelve candles on the kitchen table, twelve roses on the kitchen counter, and two smitten bodies on the kitchen floor._


	2. Chapter 2

An hour had passed, which didn't mean much to Lacey. Her hours seemed like days. Days of no sleep, days of no peace of mind. And to think that everyone who would be involved in her wedding was sleeping at this moment. Her mother- comfortably sleeping. Clara- jamming to 80s pop in her sleep. Danny- knocked out. She had no one right now, and that scared her, almost as bad as it scared her to realize how she had trusted him. But where were these thoughts protruding from? The back of her mind had been seemingly empty, until last night. The cool, calm, and collected bride-to-be was now jittery and nervous. Back in Manhattan, everyone and everything was ok. The loud car horns and foolish tourists yelling out “Taxi!” was normal, but now, back in Green Grove, she knew that everyone would be talking once she set foot outside this house with her dress on. Lacey sat up, trying to get her legs going, since she had been sitting so long. She couldn't help but feel selfish, and emotional.

 

 _These are just jitters,_ She forced herself to think, though she knew the truth was peeking out behind that lie. Lacey disgusted herself in such a way that she could cry. Having to be disgusted by yourself is just as bad, if not, then the equivalent of hearing someone you care about say they're disgusted with you, and that was not okay. She walked towards the small door by the stairs, opening it and turning on the light to the basement. With each step going downstairs, she could hear Jo's word,

 

“Lacey Porter”.... “Always popular”... “Perfect”...”Fun”

 

The sarcastically harsh words stabbed into Lacey's heart. Though she could forgive Jo for what she said, knowing what she had done, this one word that she couldn't bring herself to describe her being haunted her. She felt sick to her stomach, walking into the basement. It was a little dusty, but still in good shape. Lacey looked around, seeing the large television and a couch, a little coffee table, and a bathroom to the right. Due to limited closet space for Lacey, all her dresses were placed in the basement, until extra storage was available for the family. She saw her Fall Festival dresses, and her prom dress. The fabric from the dress brought back memories from that night. She grabbed it, eyeing the beautiful white and blue strapless dress, which still held a scent of Danny's strong cologne from that night. But much more than vivid sweet thoughts entered her mind of that night.

 

_Lacey looked herself over in the mirror, nervous as her legs shook beneath her dress. She felt nervous...sick, and like her nervous wouldn't allow her to stand still enough to steady herself in her heels. For so long she had tried to convince the student body that her and Danny were just friends, and that the video meant absolutely nothing. Again, Jo's words were like daggers into her chest. Her mother walked in, with her sister by her side. Judy stepped inside, a wide grin on her face as her father appeared behind her sister, snapping photos._

 

“ _Dad, no candids.” She spoke, adjusting her bracelet. He shrugged a shoulder and planted a heavy hand on Clara's shoulder._

 

“ _You're next, now aren't you?” He smirked, pinching Clara's cheeks. Clara rolled her eyes and shook her head._

 

“ _Whatever, I have to go back to my art project.”_

 

_Lacey couldn't help but feel a bit nervous about how her sister felt. She looked at her parents, who were both making such a fuss over her appearance._

 

“ _Excuse me, guys.” She spoke, walking past them and into Clara's room. In her room, her mother peered outside her window, seeing the shiny black limousine outside her door, and a handsome young man walking to the front door._

 

_Lacey peeked inside Clara's room and knocked on the door, seeing Clara sitting at an easel, her large paintbrush in her hand. Lacey smirked and cocked her head to the side._

 

“ _Whatcha painting?”_

 

“ _None of your business.” Clara shifted in her seat. She had taken in her sister's cold-hearted nature once she hit high school. Freshman in high school and more sass than any diva out there. Yup, Lacey unintentionally taught her well._

 

“ _Can I know once I come back?”_

 

_Clara rolled her eyes and peered at her sister. She put the paintbrush on her desk and looked at her sister._

_  
“Why would you do that? Why would you do something so stupid?”_

 

“ _What are you talking about?”_

_  
“You gave up your social status for that psycho, and now you're denying that you've ever kissed him or dated him? Make up your mind.”_

 

_Lacey stood up straight, her sister's words smacking her in the face. She couldn't handle looking at the mini-me version of herself, but she hated it. She hated the words that poured from her mouth, giving her a glimpse at what was on her mind._

 

“ _Excuse me?” Lacey was ready to attack, but this was prom, and she couldn't handle ruining her mood for a fourteen-year-old._

 

“ _You heard me. Everyone's talking about you at school, and my social life went from good to gross ever since February. I hope you're happy, because right now, you should see how selfish you look.” Clara turned away from Lacey and grabbed her paintbrush again, stroking it along her easel quickly, with force. Lacey blinked, shocked at what had just come out of her sister's mouth. No one had ever gotten to the point where she was speechless from a fight._

 

“ _Lacey!” Her mother called from the distance as the front door closed._

 

_Lacey quickly trailed down the stairs, forcing a smile on her face. But Danny read her. He knew her, for so long. He knew what was wrong, and it ached him that a night so memorable as this was no ruined before it even began. She plastered a fake smile on her face while she placed a strand of her curly locks behind her ear. Danny looked stuffed into the suit, like his top button of his shirt was choking him, or that his hair, slicked back with too much gel, that it was pulling his face back with him._

 

“ _Pictures!” Judy cried as she nudged Samuel to take a picture of the prom ready couple. Samuel took two, and protested to take anymore until they came back to take the 'Before and After' shots to see how crazy it was._

 

_Danny, still eyeing his date, placed the corsage on her wrist, as she pinned the boutonniere onto his tux, before leaving the house and entering the limousine with Jo, Tyler, and Rico who was simply alone, playing with his iPod._

 

_Jo grinned at Lacey, though she didn't return the look._

 

“ _Let's get this prom started!” Tyler shouted once Danny was in the car. The driver took off and down the road, heading to the school. Once they had arrived, Danny held Lacey back gently so they could be the last of the group to walk in._

 

“ _Something wrong? You're acting strange.” Danny insisted as he looked into her beautiful eyes. She looked into his and sighed, turning back to the school._

 

“ _I'm fine, I promise. I'm just kind of nervous.”_

 

“ _But it's prom. Everyone loves you here.” Danny spoke, trying to reach for Lacey's hand, yet her reaction was enough to shatter anyone's heart._

 

“ _Not here, Danny.” She spoke, looking around as she headed to the building. Danny didn't follow, and just stood, his hands at his side as he looked at her, saddened by her actions._

 

“ _What's this about, Lace?”_

 

“ _Nothing, can we just go inside?” She asked. Danny had that annoying feeling that he knew what was going on, but he didn't want to believe that it was happening again. He walked towards her, shoving his hands in his pockets as he strolled next to her._

 

“ _You're not ashamed of me, are you?” He asked, smiling as if that could ease all tensions. Lacey walked up the stairs, carefully, as she held onto the railing._

 

“ _I didn't say I was, now did I?” She snapped as she struggled to help her up the stairs._

 

“ _Let me help you.”_

 

“ _No, I can take care of myself.” Danny smirked, knowing the truth in that statement was fairly limited. He knew her. He could read her like a book, and he still had more reading to do, but actually knowing what was happening was like reading a Nancy Drew book and figuring out who the culprit was in the first chapter. That's how easy it was._

 

“ _Why'd you even come tonight if you were embarrassed to say that you had history with the socio. Heck, you coined the term, right?” Though he said he was over it, Danny could always feel how bitter Lacey's voice sounded when she spoke into the news that morning. That socio, that damned socio, in our school. How dare he have a normal life, too? He could feel her words stabbing at the back of his neck. Clearly, it still chilled him to think that his girlfri- I mean, ex-girlfriend was that cruel at some point. But the agreement to be friends were mutual, or so he had started to doubt due to how she was acting tonight._

 

_Lacey turned to him, entering the school with a sigh._

 

“ _Can we not?”_

 

“ _Why? Everyone knows we went out, and kissed, and had chemistry. Why can't you accept that? Who cares who sees you with me?” Danny pleaded. He wanted so desperately to pull her away from the entrance and kiss her, to show her how he felt and how beautiful she looked, but he couldn't, knowing that she was upset to even be next to him._

 

_Lacey huffed and looked around, seeing the beautifully decorated gymnasium full of balloons and romantic lights. She turned to Danny, who was staring at her. She looked away, not wanting to capture how handsome he looked, and how much she wanted to take a chunk of his hair in her hands as she kissed him. But, she couldn't. She wouldn't allow herself to._

 

“ _Let's get something to drink.” She smiled at him. Though he never did like how she wanted to run from him and averted his attention, he continued anyway, hoping the night would turn around for them. Danny had watched as the place flooded with teenagers as Lacey had gone off to talk with Phoebe and Jo, keeping him away to sit with the other guys. Danny was sitting comfortably, admiring Lacey's physique and how beautiful that dress fit her body and flared at the bottom, but was snapped out of his daze by Tyler, who seemed to have been trying to film the entire party, but stopped for a talk with Danny._

 

_Lacey glanced over at Danny, who was sipping punch with Rico and Tyler, simply staring at her from across the room. Jo peered over her shoulder, seeing Danny fixated on her and nudged Lacey, who, in turn, glared at her._

 

“ _What?” Lacey asked._

 

“ _You've been in a bad mood all night. And you guys haven't danced to one song, yet.”_

 

“ _I don't feel like it.” Lacey lied as she looked away and at Phoebe, who was making eyes at her date, Scott. Honestly, who would've thought._

 

_Lacey turned back to Jo, who was peering at her out of anger. She knew she'd hear Jo's mouth, and she knew that it was coming, just like old times. Jo pulled Lacey off to the side a little and looked her in her eyes._

 

“ _All through high school Danny's been trying to date you, and please you, and get you to feel the same way, which we all know you do, but now you're ashamed to be seen in public with him?”_

 

_Lacey's expression never changed as she looked at Jo, unamused, and not at all shocked that she would be, yet again, taking up for Danny, never willing to see anyone else's side of the story._

 

“ _Where is this coming from?” Lacey asked, trying to change the subject._

 

“ _You're ignoring your prom date. No one cares if you're not the Queen Bee anymore, Lace.”_

 

_Lacey snatched her arm away from Jo, and turned around, marching towards Danny, who perked up at the sight of her walking towards him. She gestured outside of the school, where she stood, at the bottom of the steps, waiting for Danny to come and follow her._

 

_Danny jogged down the stairs and saw her, walking towards Lacey. He seemed cavalier, and calm, like he had always tried to seem, but with Lacey, the facade was gone._

 

“ _What's up?” he asked, looking at her. He gulped, wondering if she had bad news to tell him or if she had come to tell him off. He expected either of the two to come towards him, and he knew just how to act back._

 

“ _I'm not distancing myself from you, Danny.”_

 

“ _Sure seems like it.”_

 

_She looked down, sighing once, and then looking back at him, which would be the most challenging thing for her to do. Looking into his eyes, and the smell of his cologne, threw her over the walls she built up. She couldn't deny how she felt about it. That's what was sure, but she didn't want anyone to know of them either._

 

“ _I'm sorry for making you feel bad about being my prom date. I'm sorry for just being rude and careless.” She spoke._

 

_Danny simply stood there, waiting for more of what she had to say, until he felt her arms, resting on his shoulders as her lips met his, succumbing into her heartache of missing him. Danny, surprised, just like when they had first kissed in Sophomore year, kissed back, eager to make up for lost time. The intensity of the breakup and the emotions of tonight drew them closer, and further into the kiss, of how they both had abstained from each others lips for a whole two years. Lacey grabbed a handful of his hair, as her eyes rested closed, distressed, yet yearning for his hands all over her._

 

_She opened her eyes slightly, seeing two shadows behind Danny, on the stairs of the school. By instinct, Lacey's eyes opened wide, and pushed Danny away from her body a little as she wiped her lips with the back of her hand. She stared up at the two friends, as they stared back, not nearly as in shock as Lacey was, as they walked down the stairs, saying nothing to the couple. Danny eyed both Archie and Scott as Archie pulled out cigarettes from his suit jacket. Scott retrieved a gold lighter from his pants pocket and lit them, as Lacey felt her heart thudding as the beat entered her ears._

 

_She looked at Danny, who was looking at her, not as surprised as she thought he should have been._

 

“ _I'm starting to think something's going on here.” Danny spoke softly as he stepped closer to Lacey._

 

_Lacey feigned a smile as she looked into Danny's eyes. “What?”_

 

_Yet, Danny did not melt at her smile, nor feel his knees wobble as she looked back at him. He shook his head and in a low, slightly intimidating tone, he spoke,_

 

“ _You are ashamed of me and your new image of being on the outside looking in for the second time in your life. And the reason for that was me. You're reliving the rest of your middle school trauma, because of me. But I get it now.” Danny nodded as he turned to walk back into the prom. Lacey hesitated, looking over at Archie and Scott, who were walking towards his car slowly together. She thought of Phoebe, but mostly she was what mattered at this moment._

 

“ _Danny wait.” She pleaded as she attempted to walk up the stairs after him, struggling with aching feet and heels much too high._

 

_He turned around and rubbed his mouth before fulling looking back at Lacey. She could see the coldness in his eyes as he looked down at her._

 

“ _You know, I loved you too much to admit it before, and I still love you, Lacey. I really do, and I've been trying so hard to let you see that, and see if you could love me back as equal, no matter the stares, or the gossip, or the lack of social status in high school, which you're leaving in two weeks. But, someone has to let you know when you're thinking about yourself, and you're doing it right now.”_

 

“ _You're pinning all the blame on me. Why isn't anything ever your fault?” Lacey snapped. He studied her, looking away with an awkward smile on his face, though his eyes showed no trace of happiness at all._

 

“ _For seven years the blame has been pinned on me for ruining my own name. For two years I've been blamed for murdering your best friend. So before you can say that I'm being unfair, think for a moment of when I needed you and Jo the most, and instead of getting a slow, but sure welcome back to Green Grove, I got dubbed the Socio, Lacey. Remember that. I knew how hurt you and Jo both were. I was hurting for messing up your friendship, but don't make me pay for what I did seven years ago by still being able to not accept me as your boyfriend, let alone your friend.” He turned around, walking past Lacey, heading home. Lacey could feel her stomach churning at what he just said, and how selfish she had been for a while now. She headed back up the stairs to the school, and wiped away tears from her cheeks as she entered back into the school._

 

_The air around her became thick, and unreal, like she were suffocating in all her emotions. She tried her hardest not to cry, yet she muffled her sobs, bit her bottom lip, and forced a smile on her face as a few tears still fell. She wiped them away, the smile still on her face. She couldn't go home, knowing her dad would worry about why she was home early and why she looked distraught. She didn't want to face those people inside, because they would've bombarded her with questions. It wasn't unusual for Lacey to feel trapped amongst people who cared about her the most, but she wished it hadn't always been like this._

 

Lacey stood up, shoving the dress away from her as she stood in the middle of the basement. The one word she couldn't bring herself to describe herself was selfish, though she knew she were for being ashamed of Danny in public but not in secret. The faint sound of footsteps above her knew that it was time. She would walk down that isle in that big dress, and give up her single life for a life far more beyond her ready reach. Seeing all her dresses, and remembering each event, whether there were good times or happy times. Each step, she remembered each look on Danny's face when he had ever been upset with her. How awful they both felt, sleeping in the same bed and sharing angry thoughts with the other. She promised she'd never go to bed angry again after she caught Danny sitting up in bed, visibly distressed and upset at how much they were fighting. Though they vowed to never fall asleep angry, they still fought, which brought on a much deeper strain to the relationship until he had proposed.

Lacey figured that this was typical bridal behavior. She should walk down the isle, bawling her eyes out, while the guests watched, in awe at her beauty, though her eyes were only on Danny. But, she still felt that even if these were wedding jitters, she still felt totally unsure about the big step in her life. She'd have to make a decision, and fast.


	3. Chapter 3

The slim full view mirror of Lacey's old bedroom wasn't wide enough to capture the extravagant features of her wedding dress. Her dress hugged her at her bust and waist, while the latter flared. She was seated at her vanity set, her mirror placed right in front of her while her mother proceeded to place long flowing curls in her hair. With each sigh that her mother took out of joy of doing her daughter's hair, Lacey could feel nothing but guilt, nothing but shame in the thought of having to tell everyone at the last minute how she had changed her mind in marrying Danny Desai. She just needed a sign...

This was the anniversary of their kiss at Fall Fest, a night she clearly remembered. Lacey slightly turned her head to the side, seeing Clara sitting on the edge of her bed texting while her best friend Priscilla sat beside her, bragging about meaningless stuff like Instagram or some guy's Facebook update. And at that, she really reflected on how bad she missed her younger years. She met Regina in her freshman year. Just a year and they had become good friends, and to this day, she wished that it had been her curling her hair instead of her mother, and how she wasn't too upset that her sister was her Maid of Honor.

 

“Mom?” Lacey asked.

 

Her mother met her eyes in the mirror, and stopped doing her hair.

 

“What's the matter, Lacey? Are you feeling sick again?”

 

Though she had pinned all her nervousness on the typical bridal moments, worrying came with a territory. She was nauseated, and failed to eat anything all morning, not even a banana. Judy warned that her stubborn daughter would hear her own stomach growling during the service, but Lacey was sure she wouldn't make it until then.

 

“No, I uh, wanted to thank you for doing my hair.” Lacey smiled. Judy returned the smile, patting Lacey's arms as she placed the hot wand down.

 

Lacey looked away from the mirror and down at her nails and ringless left hand. She had placed the ring in her jewelry box on her desk, planning to come back for it in the morning after she got some fresh air.

 

Phoebe and Jo came back into the room, seeing Judy take the pale white flower crown from the box, and place it on Lacey's head. She went into the closet, taking out the comb veil, and tucking it together with the crown and Lacey's hair. The veil stopped in the middle of Lacey's back, and when she heard all the women “Awww” from the room, she feigned a smile and stood up.

 

The women quieted down once they heard the sound of Sam calling to them from downstairs, insisting that the limousine had arrived. Judy handed each girl their pink, lavender, and white flowers as she hurried them out of the door. Lacey could feel her bottom lip trembling.

 

_Do not cry,_ she begged herself as she stood up from her seat. She attempted to fluff out her dress, until Jo stepped back into the room. Just the two of them in there reminded Jo so much of how their life had been when they were younger. Jo smiled up at Lacey, admiring how beautiful she looked.

 

“You're gorgeous.” Jo smiled, rubbing Lacey's arm.

 

Lacey turned to her friend, and feigned a smile, though Jo knew that something was up.

 

“Is everything okay?”

 

The question was enough to send her into sobs. She felt like asking Jo to call Tyler, bring the car around, and just drive to wherever, but she couldn't. She didn't want to sound crazy, though her thoughts alone made her believe she already took that step into Loonie-ville.

 

“I'm just really nervous, Jo. I don't think this is normal.” Lacey confessed. She was playing with her hands this time, avoiding eye contact, for she knew a stream of black tears from her mascara would turn her from a beautiful princess into Bloody Mary in 2.5 seconds. The dress clutched around her body, and her empty stomach was enough to send her to the bathroom dry heaving in utter disgust of her former actions and new ones to come.

 

Jo sat down next to her friend, taking her hand in hers, and rubbing it gently. The instinct to care for a friend in need came natural to her, and she knew Lacey needed her right now.

 

“You love him, right? That's why you said yes. That's why you guys have been together for five years straight,” Jo implied, as she looked deep into Lacey's eyes. She could see how scared she was, and those very eyes Jo stared into were the same confused, saddened eyes of an eleven-year-old. “You'll be okay.”

 

Lacey looked off to the side, expecting Jo to go forth with her therapist mannerisms, yet all she had received was a hug, and that was just enough right now. As Lacey had walked arm-in-arm with Jo, Judy grinned, a tear falling on her cheek.

 

“You girls, so close. I swear, it reminds me of old times.” Judy spoke. Karen came right beside her, rubbing her arm, a proud look on her face once she saw how beautiful both of the girls looked.

 

“That reminds me of the time the girls were too scared to come downstairs for Lacey's tenth birthday. They were hiding in the room because Danny overloaded on cake and candy and threw up right at the bottom of the stairs.” Karen laughed, as she and Judy kept their eye on the girls. Phoebe, Clara, and Priscilla were already tucked inside the limousine. On their way outside the door, Karen tugged Lacey's arm gently. “I have something for you.” She winked.

 

Lacey had been left alone for almost thirty minutes, with Jo popping in and out to preach words of encouragement that helped to the minimal amount, though Lacey appreciated being thought of at her most confusing time. She had been sitting there, to herself, a chair beside her, and the girls running in and out of the private area periodically. She had saw a back space, where a security guard was, and she saw her pair of tennis shoes in her bag-not for when she wanted to dance on tired feet, but for when she wanted to run and escape. She stood up to go and grab the shoes, so terribly sure of the other selfish decision she was about to make. She grabbed the bag, lifting up her dress, yet she lowered it once she saw Karen rushing back in with a picture in her hands.

 

“You're about to walk down the isle in ten minutes, don't worry. At least we're early, rather than late, right,” She grinned, handing Lacey the present she had kept a surprise from her for nearly an hour. Lacey held it in her hands, her heart sinking as she saw the two eleven-year-olds together in the room, not knowing they had been photographed until now. That nuisance of a lump that always appeared when we were about to cry formed, as she tried to swallow it back down. Just the pictures and the memories behind it was enough for Lacey to come to a final decision about what she planned on doing.

 

_It seemed like underneath a bed was where most things could be lost, like the Black Hole of the house, sucking things away into an unknown abyss. Lacey stretched, now attempting to push her head underneath the bed as well, for more of a reach. Her pink and purple tiara was knocked off her head, and next to Danny, who she had assumed put it on his head for kicks once she heard a faint chuckle. She could think of him now and how ridiculous he probably looked with it on. Lacey, determined to get the cards, gave up after inhaling a small dust bunny, which resulted in a cough coming from deep in her lungs. She sat up, seeing Danny with her tiara in his hands as Jo laid on her carpet next to Danny, sleeping soundly._

 

_Danny placed a finger on his mouth to shush Lacey, who he figured would wake her by talking. Instead, Danny snorted like a pig, only causing Jo to turn over and away from them. Lacey grinned, watching Danny in his usual glory, his humor and charm._

 

_The heavy footsteps coming upstairs woke Jo up. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, pretending to be awake so that she could continue the rest of Lacey's birthday party, the sleepover that Danny had disapproved of, due to the fact he wasn't invited. Chief Masterson smiled faintly, seeing Jo rubbing her eyes._

 

“ _Come on, Sleeping Beauty. What are you doing on the floor?”_

 

“ _I mean, I am sleeping over at her house tonight, right?”_

 

_Kyle looked from Lacey to Jo and shook his head._

 

“ _The birthday girl is tired, herself. Wouldn't want to wear out your welcome, right?” He spoke, bringing the girl to her feet as he guided her out of her best friend's bedroom._

 

“ _Happy Birthday, Lace.” Jo called, waving as she looked over her shoulder. Lacey grinned and waved back, while Danny turned to face him. There was something in his eyes that could warn Lacey that he was upset about something or another. Danny reached up, picking a dust bunny from Lacey's hair, resulting in a small blush on Lacey's cheeks. Lately, she's had different feelings about Danny. Feelings she wasn't aware of much anymore. But he was just her friend, and friends stayed friends, right?_

 

_He looked at her and shook his head, looking down at the carpet, playing with it between his fingers._

 

“ _I don't want to go home.” Danny confessed. Though Lacey took it as another one of his ploys to get his parents to agree to spend the night, she knew that something deep down irked him beyond no point._

 

“ _Why?” Lacey asked, weary of whether or not Danny would cease his performance with a loud 'Just kidding!' or if he would really tell her. He looked into her eyes, more or less her soul, and lifted his pinky finger for her to promise not to tell anyone. Not a soul._

 

_Lacey linked her pinky with his and nodded, to which Danny continued on with sharing his secret to her._

 

“ _My aunt Tara and my dad always fight. They don't like each other and it makes me upset, because then my mom and dad start fighting and everything is just messed up. It's like everyday now.”_

 

_Lacey could see the hurt in his eyes, and how bad he wanted to spend the night, but they both knew the answer would solely be a quick “No” because ever giving a reason as to why. Apparently they didn't understand the reason yet._

 

_Lacey leaned towards Danny, extending her arms around him as he held onto her waist tightly, not ever wanting to let go of her tonight. He needed a friend, he wanted his friend. The hug wasn't long, but long enough for Danny to understand that Lacey would always be there for him, no matter what the circumstances._

 

“ _Danny!” A familiar voice called from downstairs. His mother would always be the one to urge him home, though he begged and pleaded not to. Perhaps tonight would be an exception. That's what they both wanted, and Lacey was the birthday girl, after all._

 

_The duo walked down the stairs, seeing Vikram standing there, his polaraoid camera in his hands. He snapped a picture of them, and even bragged about how he caught Jo sucking her thumb while Chief Masterson put her in the backseat of the car. Who would've thought that Jo, ring leader of all the games they played, sucked her thumb?_

 

“ _Put on your shoes.” Karen smirked as she handed him his black converse. Danny hesitated for a moment and tapped the railing going upstairs._

 

“ _I forgot my Gameboy.”_

 

“ _Race ya to the top!” Lacey dared as they darted up the stairs. Lacey took it upon herself to skip a few steps to beat Danny, who stubbornly played off his defeat._

_  
“I let you win since it's your birthday and all.” He teased._

 

“ _Nah, you're just mad because I beat you!” Lacey gloated as she watched Danny pick up his portable device from the floor._

 

“ _Actually, that's what married people do.” He explained. Out of curiosity, Lacey stopped for a moment, stumped at what Danny had just spoke of. It took her by surprise, being that they were friends, just friends, and not a married couple, so why was she being treated like she was one? She couldn't bring herself to challenge his statement, therefore, she questioned it._

 

“ _What else do married people do?”_

 

_He thought for a moment, that trademark, charming Desai smirk on his face as he stared down at the girl who was an inch or two shorter than he was._

 

“ _They fight, I know that much. They spend a lot of money. And,” Danny hesitated, keeping Lacey latched onto his conversation. “They kiss.”_

 

_Lacey laughed, shaking her head as she heard what he just said._

 

“ _They kiss?”_

 

“ _Well, don't your parents kiss? I see my mom and dad kissing sometimes. It's so weird.” Danny confessed as he toyed with his Gameboy._

 

_Lacey thought for a moment. She could remember the late nights where her family would just argue all the time over her and Clara, and anything else that there was to argue about. Sometimes, living there was just a big awful headache, but she didn't let her parents see how bad she was suffering._

 

“ _I don't know.” She responded back._

 

_Silence fell between them for a few seconds before Danny perked up, rather confident, yet shy, with an idea._

 

“ _What if I kissed you?”_

 

_The idea mortified Lacey at best. To be kissed by a boy, especially for that boy to be Danny? How silly. Lacey tried her hardest not to shriek in disgust at how she wanted to wait and kiss Jesse McCartney first before anyone, but to have Danny be her first kiss, and for Lacey to be his had to be something special that they would laugh at in the future._

 

“ _You can try it, but I bet you won't.”_

 

_The young boy smirked at the challenge and stepped towards Lacey._

 

“ _I bet you won't even let me.”_

 

_Lacey gulped, coming to the conclusion that he was right, and that she would probably try to run if he even tried. She planted her feet right on her fluffy carpet, toes wiggling nervously, as Danny closed his eyes, puckering his lips. She quickly followed suit, moving forward until their lips met. Lacey jumped at first, wondering how long a kiss would last, until it was over three seconds after she questioned herself The two kids looked at each other, each in shock with blushes on their faces._

 

“ _Let's never do that again.” Danny insisted as he politely wiped his lips. Lacey did the same and nodded._

 

“ _Yeah, we're just friends, anyway. We'll laugh about it together when we're like sixteen.” Lacey left out the detail that age sixteen was her golden age to start dating guys. Danny looked into her eyes, feeling slightly silly that he had even offered to kiss her just to feel like a grown up for a few seconds. But those few seconds felt just like what they were, short lived. Danny gently held onto Lacey's wrist as they exited the room together. They jumped, seeing Vikram snap a picture of them both, grinning as he waved the polaroids in the air so they could develop faster._

 

“ _Danny, you should get downstairs. We'll have a talk at home.” He suggested as he patted his back._

 

“ _You didn't see anything right?” Danny asked, slightly worried for both his and Lacey's sake._

 

“ _Should I have seen something?” His dad teased as he followed behind him down the stairs._

 

_Lacey stood at the top of the stairs, watching him leave as Karen grinned at Judy, nudging her gently before calling to Lacey for final birthday wishes. Lacey ran to her window once they had left, watching Danny and his parents get into the minivan, and drive off down the road. She felt grown up, like kissing a boy meant that all of a sudden, she were a grown up by age eleven. And then, once he left, she missed him, and she finally knew what this new feeling for Danny was now._

 

Lacey held the photo close to her chest, her eyes closing. She noticed Karen was still present with her and placed her hand on her shoulder.

 

“You've been there for Danny during his toughest hours, Lacey. I can tell by how his face lights up when your name is called how he feels for you. Trust me, with all that's been going on with him since his high school days, Lacey, thank you for being by his side. Thank you for believing in him.” Karen smiled, a tear rolling from her eye as she hugged Lacey. All Lacey could do was hug her back, a stream of guilt creeping upon her soul as she thought. Karen left the room, leaving Lacey by herself to reflect. This boy in this picture was convicted of murdering his aunt, and she still had faith in him. This boy stuck with her even through arguments. This guy was so amazing to her, that all she pointed out were the flaws of his past, and not the goodness of his heart and how she was selfish.

 

Lacey doubled over in her seat, holding her stomach as she forced herself not to cry. The music in the background in the Church began playing, as her heart banged against her chest. She loved him, yes, she did, and she still does.

 

She perked up once her dad entered the room, whispering the magic words, “It's time” to her. She trudged over to him, as she watched her Bridesmaids walk down the isle before her. She linked her arm with her father's as she began walking slowly down the isle. Everyone's eyes turned to her as she walked, nervously, silently ashamed for being the way she was to Danny for so long, and noticing that he probably went through his night without a doubt in his mind on how much he loved her, though she knew she loved him.

 

She made it to Danny's side, eyeing him carefully.

 

“I'm sorry.” She whispered to him. Danny, mesmerized by her beauty and yet still concerned, looked at her.

 

“For what? What's wrong?”

 

She gulped and whispered back to him, “For everything.”

 

He looked back at her, smiling as he held her hand for the last time as his fiancee, and soon for the first time as his wife.

 

Once the time came up for the vows, Lacey spoke first, a tearful speech on words from her heart rather than words that should have been written down on a post-it or a napkin from the ladies room.

 

“Danny, you've been my best friend for quite some time now. And, as we grew up together, I'm sure that each day that we spent together, each day that we played at school together, our bond had grown. Through all the challenges we have faced, together and individually, I'm positive that I want to face those with you. I want to thank you for loving every part of me physically and spiritually, because I know that I can be selfish, but you still pulled through and loved me just the same. Every smile, every laugh, every tear, and every disagreement, I want to go through it with you, no one else, but you, for the rest of my life. I love you.”

 

Danny, who painfully tried to fight back tears, smirked, and nodded, looking down at his shoes to gather his thoughts, holding her hands in his while also caressing them with his thumb, and he began to speak.

 

“From our first kiss at age eleven, I knew that something that day had changed, something was different. And, after being away from you for five years, I've realized that what was becoming different was us. We were growing, and finding ourselves, often times in the wrong places, but finding ourselves back to each other, where we both know we belong. I promise that no matter what, I won't disappoint you, and I'll never let you down again. I love you, more.”

 

Truthfully, Lacey had told herself it was jitters, yet chose not to believe it. She knew what she was, which was unsure, and she knew that someone out there could have an answer to all her questions, who happened to be her mother-in-law. A simple picture spoke a thousand words, and brought many years with him to a new chapter in their lives. After that day, Lacey had wondered to herself whether Danny had left his Gameboy behind in her room on purpose just to get her alone and receive that opportunity to kiss her. To this day, he refused to answer her question, no matter how hard she had begged. But, whatever it had been, had it been at age eleven or twenty-one, she was grateful each day that Danny Desai was the man she woke up next to. Through their whole vacation period, Lacey could think of nothing but a quote she heard from a movie she had seen not so long before the engagement. The movie was Bride Wars, and the quote said "Sometimes in life there really are bonds formed that can never be broken. Sometimes you really can find that one person who will stand by you no matter what; maybe you’ll find it in a spouse and celebrate it with your dream wedding, but there is also the chance that the one person you can count on for a lifetime, the one person who knows you, sometimes better than you know yourself, is the same person who's been standing beside you all along." And she could find no better way than to find herself and Danny in that very statement. 


	4. Chapter 4

The sun beamed in through the windows, warning Lacey that morning had finally come to greet her with a new life and a new beginning. She liked that. She liked how the sun represented so much; happiness, a new day, clear thoughts with a clear sky. Yes, she was definitely a morning person, except on Mondays, of course. Yet, what she had loved even more than sunny days and quiet mornings, was who she finally was- Mrs. Desai. The sound of it, writing it on her advice columns, tickled her in her stomach to the point she nearly smiled herself awake in her large bed. This bed, so large and comfortable, with it's fabric shield was now her fort to hide away from the strong smell of bacon and eggs lingering from their kitchen to the bedroom, invading her nose. Though she did feel bad that Danny knew how much she loved that breakfast treat, she didn't want it now, or ever again, for that matter, being that the way it made her stomach feel. She closed her eyes, with no intentions of falling back asleep, just to relax for a little bit before she faced her apartment with a new name and a bare body.

 

Danny's footsteps from the kitchen grew louder as he approached the bedroom. He sat on the bed right next to her feet, shaking them gently as he attempted to wake up his wife. Lacey, defiantly, shook her leg in response as she popped up from the covers. The odor of the breakfast hit her nose again, this time harder. She swallowed saliva, hoping that it was just her dry throat that made her uvula feel on extra guard today, just like yesterday. Her eyes met Danny's as he studied her beauty, captivated in how she looked when she first woke up. No make up to cover her already perfect skin, no flat iron to tame her bed hair, just natural beauty, and he adored it.

 

“Care to join me for breakfast?”

 

Lacey's eyes trailed from his eyes to his body. He was shirtless, although black sweatpants covered the bottom of his body. She smirked, and shook her head.

 

“Maybe, if you tell me how you managed to cook bacon with no shirt on. What's the Desai secret?” She teased as she laid on her already upset stomach, looking up at her husband. He cocked his head to the side, stroking her hair as he, for a split second, became dazed in her beauty. The mere thought of saying it, telling people who she was to him, was just enough to brighten his day.

 

“Magic.” He winked as he grinned, standing up.

 

“Well, what was truly magical was how fast I got you out of your tux last night.”

 

Danny opened his arms, revealing the mess they left on bedroom floor and down the hall. A trail of clothes led from the door to the bedroom, as memorabilia of their first night “together” as a married couple.

 

“I'm not touching that.” Danny spoke as he leaned against the doorway. Lacey sat up, sighing as she shoved the covers off her body, walking to the restroom. She had this look on her face. The look any person would have if they were deep in thought or not feeling well and Danny spied it. He knew every facial expression she made, and he knew just how to get her to confess to whatever was on his mind. However, on the very rarest of occasions were Danny fully able to misread her.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

Lacey looked to the side and shrugged a shoulder, walking into the restroom.

 

“Why wouldn't I be?”

 

“You just-nothing, I'm overreacting.” Danny shrugged as he walked to the kitchen, setting the table. After showering, Lacey pulled on one of Danny's shirts, walking into the kitchen, ignoring how her stomach had churned with the smell and thought of eating. Psychological jitters from the wedding, she guessed, or so she had falsely hoped.

 

She sat down at the table, pouring herself some water and sitting before Danny, watching him place toast, bacon and eggs onto his plate, making a small sandwich, and slicing it in half for both of them to share. Lacey sat down, staring at her plate. Danny watched her, taking in each facial expression she made at the sandwich before pushing it towards him quickly, a distasteful look on her face.

 

“What's wrong?”

 

She looked at him, scoffing, before shrugging a shoulder. She rubbed her arms nervously, feeling as though her empty stomach would reject anything she devoured in minutes.

 

“I'm not hungry.”

 

“Well, you haven't been hungry yesterday, all day. All you had was cake, and you nibbled at your dinner. I just don't want you to get weak.” Danny looked at his wife, chewing his food in hope that she would join him for the breakfast he had made.

 

Lacey smiled and sipped on her water, thinking for a moment before responding to him.

 

“I kind of am in the mood for some ice cream. You know, on the cone, dipped in chocolate, covered in granola.”

 

Danny glanced at the clock on his phone and smirked, shaking his head at her desires before shaking the crumbs off his hand.

 

“That's barely food, and plus, it's only ten o'clock.”

 

“But that's all I'm going to eat. That's what I have a taste for.”

 

Danny looked at Lacey. This girl, the one who always complained to him about how breakfast was the most important meal of the day, turned her back at that for some ice cream, which she probably wouldn't eat all of anyway. He sighed, understanding that this would soon come in the marriage, anyway.

 

“Alright then, let's go get some ice cream.” Danny perked as he put down the sandwich he only took two bites off of, before heading to the room to change. He knew that a part of being a good husband, and hell, even a good boyfriend, was making sure that she was satisfied, and comfortable. The phrase in itself meant everything: Happy wife, happy life.

 

The couple sat in darkness, arm-in-arm as they watched the movie most ridiculous movie they both have ever seen. Danny stared forward, meanwhile Lacey stared into space, lost in thought. She had already excused herself twice to the ladies room, feeling that any minute now, she would meet her ice cream cone once again, but failed to fill Danny in on any details solely for the fact she knew he would worry. She had lied, stating that all she had gone for was to check if there was more butter for their popcorn. To her dismay, and embarrassment, he told her that from then on, he'd get the popcorn, and that he didn't mind excusing himself from a crappy movie.

 

They had chose to sit in the back, while the rest of the viewers stared in awe at the screen. Another sex scene, and the newlyweds were like teens on a date, with a few innocent pecks on the cheek here and there, as well as exchanging passionate kisses.

 

Danny faced Lacey, leaning in, brushing her hair over her shoulder, letting his lips meet her neck, nibbling and sucking slowly while his tongue explored one of her sensitive areas. She gasped, feeling aroused at the sensation. Finally, all had seemed to be going good for once, today. Low key and subtle, just how they both liked it. They didn't need an expensive trip to Costa Rica, or a beautiful beach house in Hawaii to seal the deal on their marriage. Just being with each other was enough, if not better, than what they originally had in mind.

 

Lacey held onto the arm rests of her seat, closing her eyes as a mixture of feelings explored her body suddenly. A sweat broke out on her forehead and on her lower back, while she felt tempted to pull him into a kiss, but also felt the urge to dart from the theater. The tingly sensations of pleasure her neck sent throughout her body, couldn't challenge the pressure in the back of her throat. She held the bucket of popcorn tighter in her arms, gripping it for dear life.

  
“Danny.” She whispered, unsure whether or not she wanted him to stop. However, misreading her feelings, he continued, raising a hand to gently caress her right breast, with that trademark smirk against her neck. To him, he was doing well, which he was, but at the most inane time.

 

A wave of uneasiness crossed her body as she picked at the box with her fingertips, nervous of the next action her body would suddenly tell her to do.

 

“Danny.” She spoke, a little louder as she inched away from him. Danny backed away quickly, a look of worry on his face in the dark room. He held onto her wrist, wanting her to face him.

 

He whispered quickly, and frantically, “What's wrong?” before letting go of Lacey, as she darted out of the theater, heading straight for the bathroom as fast as she could. Danny sat in confusion, staring at the door, as though he were waiting for her to come back with more popcorn.

 

 _I told her to let me get it,_ Danny thought to himself as he faced the screen, facing the twenty-four dollars worth of crap that they thought would be enjoyable.

 

 

–

A blue toothbrush had been Lacey's precious toy for the rest of the night. Ugh, the taste was terrible on her tongue, sour and unpleasant, yet she still found the time to down two pizza slices on their way home from the theater, ignoring Danny's rebuttal. Lacey placed her toothbrush in the cabinet, admiring how it wasn't even fully dark outside, yet. It reminded her of mornings, the start of a new day, or in Manhattan's case, the start of the city's usual nighttime party. She climbed into bed, as she listened to Danny groan with his laptop on his lap, reading glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. She always loved his glasses and how into his work that he was. Passions are called passions for some reason, right? Yet, she had wondered if they would take a break from work just to celebrate their marriage together, for a week. Lacey tossed the thought aside that he had been checking up on his work, telling herself that she was, yet again, being selfish.

 

She climbed into bed next to her husband who had skipped dinner due to his worrying about her health. He glanced at her, giving his charming smile, before closing his laptop, taking off his glasses and opening his arms for Lacey to rest against him. She held onto him, her stomach still unsettled at the two slices of pizza which she had eaten about an hour after her episode in the movie theater.

 

“What's wrong?” She asked, using her finger to draw circles on his stomach. He grabbed her hand, kissing it gently, before resting it on his lap.

 

“Nothing, just work stuff.” He shrugged as he looked down at his wife. She smiled up at him, rolling onto her side of the bed, bringing him close to her, her chest pressed up against his. She grabbed his hair in her hands, kissing on his neck, licking gently, before sliding off her white tank top, revealing her breasts. Danny's eyes trailed from hers to her breasts, as he shyly laid back on his pillow, watching her, even though Lacey was waiting for his hands to explore every inch of her body. Just his touch would be enough to set her free of her thoughts. She needed him, she wanted him, just like last night. She climbed ontop of him, taking the initiative, before pulling off his t-shirt, bending forward and kissing his lips gently, though he seemed uninterested.

 

“Is there something wrong?” Lacey asked, looking down at the man who was lost in though. He hesitated for a moment, before placing his hands on her hips, feeling how smooth her skin was.

 

“I just don't really feel in the mood, right now.”

 

A pink tint of embarrassment grew on Lacey's cheeks as she climbed off of him, putting on her tank top. She felt wrong, and weird, like she was basically forcing him to feel this certain way about her at the most impromptu time,

 

“Oh.”

 

“I mean, I just don't want to face the facts that I gave my wife food poisoning.” Danny teased, however Lacey didn't catch the joke. The “mood” was always right for the both of them, and usually they could just about tell what the other was thinking, except for now. Danny's mixture of thoughts and worries could be enough to sink a ship, right about now, and Lacey knew it. She had simply decided not to pry in order to take away the whole newlywed glow from their persona.

 

“You didn't force me to eat ice cream, so don't say it was your fault.” Lacey spoke, taking off her pajamas shorts and tossing them across the room. Danny had taken it upon himself to clean up the wedding night effect from the house, stowing his tuxedo away in his closet, while Lacey's dress laid right on the couch, ready to be brought back to her mother's house to store away in the basement with Lacey's other memorable dresses.

 

“I know, but you haven't had a good appetite, nor have you eaten anything filling all day. I'm worried.” He held her hand in his, while caressing it with his thumb. It's true, he did feel more worried than he thought he should have been, yet even more shameful than what he was about to confess to her.

 

Lacey smiled at him, not letting the fact that her stomach bug would potentially ruin their honeymoon stage. She kissed his chest, and then his neck, making eye contact again with him.

 

“Trust me, tomorrow will be much better when we go out to dinner.”

 

Danny's eyes widened as he thought for a minute.

 

“To dinner? I thought dinner arrangements were for Tuesday.”

 

“Yeah, but Mondays are rarely any fun. Let's make the best of it. And I also wanted to go pick out a costume for Tyler's Halloween Party, sound good?”

 

Danny looked away, sighing as he rubbed his temples. He stared straight ahead, afraid of the look that he'd see his wife give him.

 

“I have to meet with my agent. I couldn't move it to any other day. He said it was urgent. I'm sorry.”

 

Lacey feigned a smile and nodded, understanding his situation, but then again feeling slightly disappointed. His book was a hit, and she understood that, but couldn't work wait, even just for a few more days? Apparently not.

 

“I got it.” She smirked, turning over, her back facing his as she adjusted her pillow.

 

“You're not mad, right, babe?”

 

Lacey looked over her shoulder, smiling.

 

“Of course not. I understand that you're becoming a hit.” She smiled. Danny leaned forward, kissing her forehead as he looked into her eyes.

 

“I love you.”

 

“I love you, too.”

 

The lack of light darkened the bedroom, as Danny shifted into his usual sleeping position. One arm holding her waist while he rested against her back, taking the shape of her body and doing the same with his. They breathed in rhythm, yet Lacey held her breath for a moment, the thought overcoming her as she stared into space, shocked. She gulped, blinking as she tried to look for an answer, any answer in the darkness, that could explain what she was feeling, physically. And then it dawned on her. Perhaps Danny's hand should be moved elsewhere. She gently held his hand, moving it to her pelvis where she sighed, feeling safer, wondering if what she had thought was something she should believe or brush off, just like those pesky wedding “jitters”. Yet, her wedding jitters were much more than what they had seemed. They brought a whole new perspective to her unanswered questions.


	5. Chapter 5

Fabrics of all kind brushed across Lacey's hands, as she browsed the store, looking for the perfect costume, the perfect one that she could match with Danny. She thought of the typical criminal and police officer, yet she felt that would be too harsh for them. She turned, seeing Jo with a Scream mask on, her hair sprouting around the mask. Lacey chuckled, shaking off her friend as she continued walking through the store. Jo, staying right by her side, rummaged through the plastic to look for clothing, herself. This was the first time they had spoken since the wedding, though Lacey needed this close feeling of comfort while being back in Green Grove.

 

“What's wrong, Lace? Haven't told me why your honeymoon was cut short.”

 

Lacey glanced at her, a fake smile forming on her face as she held up a bumblebee costume.

 

“What do you think?” She diverted the question. She learned that from Danny ever since he came back into her life in high school, yet she knew she wasn't nearly as good as lying or manipulating situations like he was. He was a champ when it came to that.

 

Jo looked over the costume, her eyebrows raising as she studied it.

 

“Slutty,” The two girls laughed as Lacey placed the costume back on the rack, continuing to search. “I don't mean to pry, but did something happen?”

 

“He had something to do with work, so I figured I'd take my first step back into Green Grove as a _new woman.”_

 

There was much emphasis on that, to which Jo laughed, staring at the promise ring on her ring finger.

 

“I'm waiting on Tyler to finally say something.” Jo smirked, having Lacey look down at her hand. The ring was beautiful, in what she had assumed was Sterling Silver, a pink stone in the center. Lacey looked as her friend continued searching.

 

“I don't know what to wear.”

  
“Hold on! I had the perfect idea!” Jo perked, jogging off to the back of the store once again. Lacey sighed, turning back to the racks. A quick tap on the shoulder led her to believe that Jo was back in her presence, yet again, but unusually quick. Lacey spun around, startled to see someone in all black, the same Scream mask Jo had on, yet this person was taller, nearly Danny's height. Lacey folded her arms in front of her, her head leaning to the side, unamused.

 

“Who is this?” She asked, attempting to reach for the mask. The masked person dodged her hands, disappearing into the store once the sound of Jo skipping towards her grew nearer. Jo grinned, holding up a Superwoman and Superman costume, nodding slowly as she shook them enthusiastically.

 

“What do you think?”

 

Lacey gave a polite smile and nodded, rubbing her arm.

 

“Yeah, sure thing. Thanks.”

 

“What's wrong?” Jo asked as she buried the items deep in the rack, so that no one else could find them.

 

Lacey shrugged a shoulder, her stomach turning as she attempted to leave the store. She couldn't shake what she was feeling and her intuition was way too strong to even disregard. She felt cautious to tell Jo, hoping that she didn't tell anyone, but she knew Jo for many years, and being that a friendship is what has sprouted with them once high school ended, she knew she could trust her, especially with this kind of situation. They made a great time, and she needed to make sure that's how things would stand. She looked over her shoulder, not sure how to explain her situation to Jo without giving away fully what she needed to take care of.

 

“I have to go to the drugstore.” Lacey admitted, panic in her eyes as she quickly made her way from the store with Jo trailing right behind her, trying to catch up.

 

 

\---

The way she felt right now was one that she could definitely remember. Two days ago, she was up at 6 am, convincing herself that what she would go through with was a mistake she was getting ready to make. Yet, the way she shook, and how nervous she was was enough for Jo to take notice in how unsure she was about this, another life changing decision.

 

Lacey spat off a piece of her nail to the side as the two girls sat on her mothers bathroom floor, together, Jo on one side of the cup, Lacey on the other as they waited the results.

 

“If you are,” Jo began, however, seeing the way Lacey looked at her in complete shock made her regret ever starting a conversation about this in the first place. Lacey stared, wanting her to continue her sentence before going back to panicking. “Would it be a bad time?”

 

Lacey sighed, her breath becoming ragged as she shook nervously, all over. Lacey gave a curt shrug of her shoulders, unsure what he would think. Jo, out of curiosity, held up the test, staring at it, until her expression changed slightly. Jo blinked, sighing, looking at Lacey who stared at her, visibly in shock.

 

“What? Did the results show?”

 

Jo cleared her throat, her mouth slightly curling into a smile.

 

“Positive.” Jo whispered as she revealed the results on the pregnancy test.

 

 

–

A mixture of jazz music and faint talking aroused Lacey's ears as she sat there, sipping water as she anxiously waited for her husband. She had every intention of revealing the surprise to him, with the thought that he'd be content and happy with the bundle of joy that would await them in roughly nine months. Lacey grinned to herself, unsure whether or not her stomach fluttered from butterflies or from morning sickness, now. Either way, it was all new to her, and feeling like this was the best feeling she had ever experienced before. She tapped her fingers impatiently as a child next to their table began sobbing, asking for cookies. The mother, a younger blonde woman, insisted that she could have cookies after she ate all her “veggies”. Lacey looked to the little girl, seeing her scrunching her face up to cry, yet no noise came from her mouth. She knew she'd have to deal with the dramatics of crying for attention and crying in the middle of the night eventually, but for now, a far more interesting thought popped into her mind as she waited for her guest.

 

_Thunderstorms, the perfect way to fall asleep with someone you love in your arms. On any type of night, windy, rainy, stormy, subtle, Lacey adored the feeling of Danny's arms around her body, protecting her from anything. However, a simple fight that day had sent Lacey packing and into Jo and Tyler's apartment for the night. They didn't mind her out-of-the-blue intrusion, although she felt like a third wheel, unintentionally. She slept in the living room, while the couple shared their usual nights in their bedroom. Lacey could hear a few faint giggles coming from their room, while the rain poured outside the window. She felt alone, and like the wedding wasn't as important to Danny as he had implied the night he proposed. She felt nothing but foolish for taking it so serious, but in a way she didn't care if he thought she was being too bossy. A faint knock was heard from their front door. Lacey hesitated for a moment, unsure if they heard it or not._

 

“ _Jo? Door!” She called. There was silence in the room, as she waited for an answer from someone. She crept to the door, opening it, seeing Danny drenched from the rain, sweating. She stood there, unamused, her arms folded across her chest._

 

“ _Why'd you have to take the car?” He joked, attempting to make light of the argument they had hours beforehand. Lacey looked away, slightly annoyed, but yearning to go back home._

 

“ _What do you want, Danny?”_

 

“ _I want to apologize.” his chest rose and fell as he stood outside the door. He looked down at his fiancee, seeing her in one of his shirts and his sweatpants. He grinned and shrugged a shoulder. “Maybe you want to come home.”_

 

“ _It's all I could sleep in. I don't miss you.”_

 

_Danny raised his eyebrows, a grin forming on his face as he listened to her, trying to believe her lie._

 

“ _Come home, babe, please. I'm sorry. A wedding is a way of expressing our love for one another, in a traditional way. I love you. I'm a jerk.”_

 

_Lacey swallowed, looking him over. His shirt clung to his body as his wet hair fell in his face, longer than usual. She couldn't resist any longer. She hurried to the couch, packing up her things, before slipping on her flats, hurrying out of the apartment building with Danny by her side._

 

“ _So does this mean you forgive me?”_

 

“ _The wedding is in two weeks, I kinda have to.” She spoke nonchalantly. He shrugged a shoulder._

 

“ _Fair enough.” Danny spoke. The couple hurried out to Lacey's car, entering inside, and driving to Judy's driveway. Danny sat there, looking at Lacey as she stared back. Lacey leaned forward, her heart beating harder against her chest at the thought of being with Danny again. She leaned forward slowly, her lips meeting his as he held the side of her face, kissing her back, more gentle yet passionate as ever. Lacey grinned into the kiss, before whispering, “I forgive you” as she left a trail of kisses down Danny's neck, nibbling gently on his collarbone. A few soft moans escaped Danny's lips. Lacey stopped her actions, looking into Danny's eyes as her free hand reached for his zipper and button. Danny chuckled, holding her hand in his._

 

“ _Shouldn't we go somewhere with a little more space?” Danny suggested, kissing Lacey's nose gently. She bit her bottom lip, crawling to the back seat, waiting for Danny to follow suit, which he did. Though space was limited, Lacey knew how awkward it would be to interrupt her family's sleep and still attempt at having sex in her bedroom._

 

_Lacey allowed Danny to undress her, as the rain poured harder onto the car. His hands explored each part of her body, as kisses were left on her neck. Danny undressed himself, sitting on the backseat. Lacey climbed ontop of him, gently placing him inside of her, slowly as she moved up and down, riding him while his hands assisted her, occasionally taking advantage of the opportunities to grab her ass. Lacey placed one hand on his shoulder, while the other rested in his hair. Moans escaped the couple as they continued the motion, with Danny thrusting as well. They shifted positions, as Lacey laid width wise on the back seat, her legs bent as Danny rested on top of her, placing himself inside of her slowly. He leaned forward, a wet collection of hair falling in his face, while he thrust deeper into Lacey. She held onto the door handle for support at the enticing feeling of pleasure that took over her entire body. Danny leaned forward, planting the softest kiss on her lips, while his breathing increased, moans growing louder between the couple. Lacey clawed at his back gently, causing Danny to grit his teeth from the new action. Danny thrust deeper, slowing down his pace before having his forehead rest against Lacey's as her muscles tightened around him. The couple moaned, reaching the point of true satisfaction. Danny collapsed on top of Lacey, his body sweaty from how humid they had gotten the car. Lacey arched her back, still feeling him thrusting inside of her, which ceased after a few more seconds. She brushed hair from Danny's face which stuck to his forehead from sweat. She looked into his eyes and grinned, while Danny cleared his throat._

 

“ _How does it feel to have your first make-up sex episode?” He taunted while kissing Lacey's cheek, to which she smiled at him, enjoying the fact that she was home, with him, enjoying the storm while in each others arms._

 

Lacey grinned, a blush crossing her face as she continued her thought. So caught up in her daze, Lacey jumped as a familiar voice came from the direction before her. He sat his leather bag next to his chair, leaning over the table while Lacey met him half way, kissing his lips briefly before sitting back down. Underneath the table was a small yellow party gift bag, necessities inside to surprise Danny on the news she had learned of hours beforehand.

 

“Sorry I'm a little late. The trains were running crazy.” He assured, grabbing his menu in his hands. He brushed his shoulder length hair out of his face, eyeing the menu.

 

“Danny?” Lacey asked, crossing her hands as she smiled at him. Danny placed the menu down, reaching forward and holding her hands in his.

 

“Yes, Lacey? What's up?”

 

She looked off to the side, seeing the little girl from before begin crying, a sharp holler that could waken the dead if she tried. She looked back at Danny, chuckling a little as she noticed how irritated he looked. He sighed, shaking his head.

 

“This isn't helping my headache.”

 

“Was something wrong earlier today?”

 

“They think that I should come up with a sequel to my novel. But I don't know.” He shrugged as he sipped some water. Lacey frowned at the annoyance plastered on his face. Hell, the kid was noisy, but not enough to ruin her mood.

 

“Why not?”

 

“What's there to tell? A sequel to my autobiography? What is this, the afterlife?”

 

Lacey looked down for a moment and smirked. Her foot tapped the bag, moving it closer to her chair so that she was ready to surprise him and make his headache better. She could see him now, nearly crying at the thought of becoming a father. She knew he'd be just as happy as she had been when she found out earlier. The butterflies in her stomach grew even more intense. Now, she was just nervous.

 

 _Do I yell, 'Surprise!' or do I just pass him the bag?_ She thought to herself.

 

“I can think of two things.” She smirked, tapping her fingers impatiently as she bounced her leg.

 

“Like,” He leaned forward, interested in what she had to contribute. She grinned from ear to ear, reaching down and grabbing the bag. She quickly looked inside, making sure that everything that she had planned was inside, until she heard Danny snap. He let out a groan, placing his head in his hands. Lacey looked at him from where she was bent as he shook his head. She had guessed that the kid screaming was too much to handle during his headache. “God, babe, I swear, kids are a definite no.”

 

He let out an exasperated laugh before returning to his menu. She sat up straight, letting go of the bag as she looked at him, curious. At first, she couldn't believe what she had heard. Doubt struck her so hard that she felt that he hadn't even said that at all.

 

“I'm sorry, what,” Danny looked up at her and chuckled, although Lacey was simply staring in shock. “You don't want kids?”

 

“Yeah, I do, but just at a better time, you know? A time when we're not stuck in an apartment? And maybe at a time where I'm not under so much pressure.”

 

“It's not like we don't have the money, though. We're both employed, both happy, healthy, I mean, what's wrong with having a baby now?”

 

“I know, but we just moved to Manhattan not long ago, and I like our apartment, for now. I just think planning a baby takes time and you know, effort.” He winked, as he went back to looking at his menu.

 

“Oh,” Lacey thought for a moment, as she, too picked up her menu. “I understand.”

 

“Now, what were you going to tell me?”

 

Lacey thought for a moment, pinning a fake smile on her face as she thought for a moment.

 

“Well, we just got married, you can write about that, and how I ruined our honeymoon.” She teased. Danny laughed a little and shook his head.

 

“I think that I'd need something more important than a food poisoned honeymoon.” He grinned. The waitress came over to the Desai's dinner table, her notepad ready.

 

“What can I get you tonight?” She asked, taking her pen from her ear, ready to write.

 

“Please excuse me.” Lacey spoke, heading towards the restroom. Her legs felt like jelly, like she could barely walk. She locked herself in a stall after slamming it closed, and slid down the back of the door, burying her head in her hands. Her throat revealed the same, annoying lump, which egged her on to cry, and scream, and let all her emotions out. And that's just what she did.

 

She cried.

 

She cried harder than she did for Regina's funeral; harder than her parents divorce. Her temples pulsed, as she was now the one with a headache. All the life that their unborn child had given her was swept away by the thought that Danny wasn't ready for kids, and to know that she was carrying his now was devastating, and confusing at best. Her chest ached, knowing the heartbreaking news of what she wanted was not what he wanted right now. Tears streamed down her face while she tried telling herself that everything would be okay, and that somehow they'd both come to a reasonable agreement on what to do _if_ he ever found out. Lacey, still visibly distraught, walked to the sink, looking herself over in the mirror. She touched up her makeup, making sure that he wouldn't notice the red bottom portion of her eye, or how glossy they looked from her breakdown. She didn't even want him to notice the very slight difference in how her stomach seemed a tiny bit swollen than normal. She didn't want him noticing a thing.


	6. Chapter 6

Two weeks. Two incredibly long, harsh, and not to mention dreadful weeks have gone by in the Desai home. Not even the cool breeze of early mornings or the sun setting earlier than ever could ease Lacey's thoughts. Each option, she discovered and went through carefully by herself. All calls from Jo were ignored, all charming remarks from Danny had brushed over her head, and not even the thought of how exciting it would be to meet her unborn child could change her lethargic behavior. Most of her days passed her by, as she sat in their room, by the window, while Danny typed, and typed, and became frustrated, and offered to help her eat, but everything and anything would repeat itself. It had almost become a daily routine. But Danny, despite how engulfed he had become in his work, would pull her hair into a ponytail and rub her stomach, like she asked. And even if it seemed like his beautiful wife had fallen into some sort of hypnotic trance, he knew that getting out of the house could probably cure her congested thoughts.

 

Lacey shifted her position, feeling her legs becoming numb from sitting on them for at least fifteen minutes. She rose from her seat having Danny curiously wonder if she were actually going to try and make some sort of effort other than to the bathroom and back to her window where she watched yellow taxis and children running to and from school for the past two weeks. It almost made him question her sanity and what she thought, hoping that anything but vicious thoughts captivated her mind so great that she'd look for the unthinkable way out of her dilemma, whatever it may be. He watched her change her position, as he attempted to turn back to his writing. However, for about the thirtieth time in these past two weeks combined, he asked, in the most gentle tone, “Are you okay?”

 

Danny had prepped himself for the usual. She would look over her shoulder, smile a little, nod, and turn back to face the window, only to drop her fake smile as she analyzed her options, to which she detested one more than the other.

 

 _Adoption..._ She thought, looking down at her stomach. She rubbed it gently, knowing that her child was only about the size of a poppy seed on a bagel, but she still loved it nonetheless, and having her child taken from her could have been the worse thing of all. She sighed, closing her eyes slowly as she tried to take a nap.

 

Danny put down his glasses, closing his laptop, as he stood from his desk, walking over to his wife. He placed his hands on her shoulders, massaging her gently, just like the time he knew she were mad at him the day he proposed.

 

“Do you remember how I proposed to you? You were so upset with me because I was was such a jerk. I want you to tell me when I'm being a jerk, okay?”

 

Lacey's eyes slowly opened from exhaustion of an empty, hungry, nauseated stomach. The feeling was truly unbearable. The hunger of lack of food, but knowing you shouldn't eat. Gosh, Lacey felt like she was about to get pushed over the edge by the taunting smell of Danny's lunch in the kitchen, though she knew if she ate it, she'd just hurt herself even more. She turned around, disregarding his massage as she looked into his eyes. It was clear that she would begin crying at any moment, but truthfully, she chose to suck it in, and keep all her feelings to herself.

 

“You've never been a jerk to me since we got married.” Lacey teased, new behavior for her as Danny hadn't sensed a funny bone in her body for far too long. It's like his wife, the woman who he had truly loved was absent. And all he got was a replacement wife instead. One who sat in a chair by the window all day, not eating, and mostly sleeping. What definitely scared Danny other than how weak she had gotten, was how he failed each attempt at trying to get her to open up to him, to tell her what was wrong. He had stopped himself from getting frustrated a few times, knowing that she needed him, and that he'd be lucky if she said a few more words each day other than the usual, “Help me to the bathroom” or “Can you fix me some tea?”

 

“Is there anything you need to tell me?” Danny moved so that he was now in front of her, kneeling. The look he gave her was one of true sincerity, though Lacey fought herself at what she thought while gazing into his solemn and concerned eyes.

 

 _Will our child have his eyes or mine?_ She fought herself to not think that, and to just realize that they both had brown eyes, so brown eyes were a given for the child.

 

She bit her bottom lip to stop herself from saying anything she didn't want to reveal just yet. She leaned forward, cupping his face in her hands as she kissed him, a kiss so powerful and passionate than she had ever given to him before. She was kissing the father of her child, and she wanted to tell him, for a weight so heavy could be lifted from her chest. She broke the kiss, laying two more on his cheeks as she stood up, walking to her closet.

 

“What are you doing?” He asked, bringing himself back to his feet.

 

“I'm getting dressed.” She spoke, holding up the matching costumes from her closet. He walked over and stood by her, hesitant to say anything, but bringing himself to do so anyway.

 

“Are you sure you'd want to go to this costume party? I mean, it's a couple hours from us.”

 

Lacey glanced at the clock which showed 4:04, and she smirked, shrugging a shoulder. She laid the clothes on the bed before walking to her husband, wrapping her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. Though she was distraught, she knew how bad she wanted to tell him, and she knew how bad she wanted everyone else to know, too, besides Jo. Lacey nodded, pulling away from him and holding the costume up to her body.

 

“I want to go. It'll be fun.” She tried to assure him, or better yet, she tried to assure herself. Danny, still skeptical about her actions, took a few seconds to analyze her, not sure what expression to read from her face. There were just too many, so he left it alone, quite happy to realize that he was slowly but surely and steadily getting his wife back.

 

“Okay then. We should be there by seven.” He said, undressing himself as he took the costume from the package. He got dressed quickly, placing the boots that came with it on his feet as he let his hair flow down to his shoulders. He chuckled a little, looking himself over in the mirror as artificial abs laid on his upper torso. A faint thud was heard from inside the closet, leaving Lacey to turn her head, seeing the yellow bag sitting straight up on the floor, as though it were taunting her.

 

“What's that?” Danny asked, turning around. He took two steps towards it, unable to see what was inside.

 

“Hmm,” Lacey asked as she grabbed the bag, shoving it deep into her closet. “Nah, just something Jo gave me as a wedding gift. It's nothing.”

 

Danny grinned down at his wife, holding her in his arms as she tried her best to get her cape on.

 

“I got it.” He spoke, putting it in it's perfect place, while Lacey blushed. He lowered his hands from her collarbone to her stomach, rubbing gently. A certain warmness crept over her body as Danny rubbed slowly and gently in a circular motion. The feeling she received was like her unborn child recognized the touch of it's father. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, a feeling so unfamiliar since her morning sickness would come and go every now and then. Lacey felt vulnerable by his touch, as though he knew what he was feeling. A man so handsome was yet, so oblivious to any type of actions whatsoever.

He never questioned it, nor had it ever popped into his mind that the “food poisoning” she experienced was her morning sickness in the early stages of pregnancy.

 

The two arrived at the party, pulling right in front of Tyler's parents house. Black, orange and purple balloons lined the porch as people mingled outside and loud music blasted inside. Lacey couldn't recognize most people, being that some were in masks, yet she continued inside, hand-in-hand with Danny. A tall man crept towards them from the left, grinning with a camera in their faces.

 

“So glad you guys made it. There's snacks to the right,” Tyler gently nudged at Lacey, before winking and turning to Danny. “And there's beer there, too, Danny.”

 

“Yeah, thanks man.” Danny nodded. Tyler patted him on the back and continued to the rest of the party with his camera in hand.

 

Danny looked at his wife, pulling her close, kissing her forehead as he looked down.

 

“I'm gonna go get a beer. Do you want one?”

 

Lacey stared at him and smiled, shaking her head. “No beer for me right now. I don't quite think my stomach is ready.”

 

“Well if you still feel queasy, why'd you insist on coming?”

 

“Jo wanted me here,” Lacey smirked, as Danny narrowed his eyes at her, confused. He didn't like the fact that she was often times a people pleaser, though it was nice of her. He wanted Lacey, for the most part, to do what she wanted to do and be who she wanted to be simply for herself, not at the disposal of someone else. “And I wanted to be here, too.”

 

Danny glanced away from her, seeing the snacks and beverages on the table. He turned back to his uncomfortable wife who stood by the door, looking at him.

 

“Hey! Aren't you Danny Desai? The Socio?” A small group formed, walking towards Danny as his wife stood still, completely neutral towards his arising fame.

 

Danny gave a nervous chuckled and nodded as his hands slowly dropped from his wife to his side as he lifted his hand to shake with other fans who were equally as thrilled to recognize his face in the inside back cover of his novel.

 

Lacey stood by his side, watching as the group each took turns chatting, asking for a more in depth experience about what happened to him, though it was all in the book. Awkwardly, Lacey turned away, though Danny tried to grab for her wrist. She continued throughout the house, looking for Jo or Phoebe, or any familiar face to ease the awkwardness.

 

Lacey stood by a wall, watching everyone talk while she stood there, unamused to how hard grown men were slamming empty soda cans against their foreheads. A gentle tap startled her a little as she saw Phoebe, in all black, with eye liner lines on her face as whiskers while furry cat ears were on top of her head. No doubt guessing what she was.

 

Lacey grinned, hugging Phoebe, who glanced from her to her stomach every now and then.

 

“So, someone's been keeping me in the dark.” She forced herself not to smile, although Lacey was clearly both upset yet jovial at the news, herself. She shrugged a shoulder and looked away, hoping Jo would whisk her off her feet and ask her for her details instead of Phoebe. Hey, don't get her wrong, Phoebe was a very close friend, but she and Jo had grown even closer through the years, especially when Tyler came into her life.

 

“Yeah, I'm pregnant.” Lacey shrugged as she forced herself to not make eye contact.

 

“I found it kind of weird, though. I mean, when you guys first came in you looked just awful, seriously. I mean, the whole Superwoman costume works but not on someone who looks hungover.” Phoebe joked. Lacey couldn't help but smile at her intentions of making her feel better about herself.

 

“I've felt hungover for two weeks. It's terrible, but I guess it's worth it.” Lacey looked her in her eyes. She was emotionally numb to everything, lost in thought about what she would have to do, and what she couldn't do. Keeping this a secret and doing the unthinkable would just be too hard on the both of them, as well as their marriage, and she feared that if he found out, he'd rethink their whole relationship and find a way out, though she knew Danny wasn't like that. Mostly she was scared that if she confessed this to him, she'd notice him look disappointed while a fake smile planted itself right on his face to not worry her.

 

“You guess? You have a little Danielle or Logan inside of you. What's to be upset about? I know some girls, even when they're pregnant, they still have this glow.”

 

“I _had_ a glow.”

 

“And?” Phoebe looked at her, intently. She just stared, taking her silence as much more than Lacey being sick.

 

“You didn't have an- I mean...you couldn't have. He didn't make you, right?”

 

Lacey's eyes widened at her and she shook her head.

 

“No, Danny doesn't know. He said he doesn't want kids right now.” Lacey admitted. The words she spoke were enough to nauseate her further. She desperately wanted to just run out, screaming, away from this party. But selfish thoughts crowded her mind.

 

_How dare all these people have fun while I'm nauseous and depressed?_

 

Phoebe looked shocked. Her mouth hung open, her eyes watered. She felt her pain, knowing that either action would possibly destroy their marriage, like Lacey had thought.

 

“I'm so sorry.” She whispered. Lacey nodded as silence fell between the two women, though the rest of the house were noisy. She stared over Phoebe's shoulder, watching as Danny made his avid group of supporters laugh by his charm. That charm that she had hoped their child would inherit. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing his wife staring at him. Lacey's attention turned away from Danny and back to Phoebe, who had a tint of sadness in her eyes, like she would begin crying at any moment. A small grin appeared on Lacey's face as she remembered how dramatic Phoebe could get.

 

“Don't be sorry, he'll find out, somehow.” Lacey assured her, a hand on her shoulder. Phoebe looked up at her, shaking her head. She swallowed, her voice trembling and uneasy.

 

“He's here.”

 

Lacey looked over her shoulder, her guard instantly up as she took a few steps away from Phoebe, ready to run to Danny at any point for protection.

 

“Who's here?”

 

“Archie,” Lacey glanced over her shoulder, seeing her ex-boyfriend, a beer in his hands, and all. He was staring at them. His cold eyes glared at Lacey, making her feel unsafe and intimidated at best. She turned around, facing Phoebe, who had completely vanished. She looked around, worried for her friend as she took a few steps, turning around, seeing Archie standing there.

 

“Hey Lace.” He smirked, leaning against the wall. She tried her best to hide how bad he had scared her, but she was sure that Archie could hear her heavy beating heart from just three feet away. She looked him over, seeing him in a prisoners costume, with shackles around his ankles. His breath was tainted with alcohol, and she could tell that he had slipped another surprise in his beer as well. Probably Vodka or Ciroc, she guessed.

 

“Hi.” She spoke breathlessly. Sadly, what Danny had predicted about Archie was true. He was balding, very slightly, and he was, indeed, a drunk. He looked her over, shaking his head after taking another sip.

 

“I was so foolish to let you out of my life.”

 

Lacey rolled her eyes, attempting to walk past him, though he held onto her arm, gently, like a kid not wanting his mother to leave. She knew she'd deal with that same feeling one day, but right now, it was impromptu and definitely invading her space.

 

“Let go of my arm.” It seemed as though ice had been injected into her veins with how she was treating him, especially since it was Archie and also since he was drunk. She didn't trust him around her or her child. Typical maternal instincts were setting in quick, to Lacey's surprise.

 

Archie stared at her, his eyes red and his vision blurred by the many drinks he had consumed. He slowly loosened his grip of her arm, as Lacey quickened her pace up the stairs. She looked around, all the doors were closed. Unlike a typical high school or college party, no couples were inside the rooms getting intimate in an unfamiliar place. They were all downstairs, at least that's what she had thought. She turned the knob of the door, pushing it open, startled by what she had seen. She had definitely found the bathroom since, propped on the sink, was Jo with Rico in between her legs, his hands on her waist. Lacey's eyes switched from Jo's to Rico's, while theirs both stared at her, embarrassment printed on their faces.

 

“I'm sorry.” Lacey spoke breathlessly as she closed the door, though she stared in complete shock, hoping that 'it wasn't what it looked like' would be the words Jo would text her later on tonight. Yeah, right now was most definitely the wrong time to tell Jo that she was stuck in a rut while her darling husband and father to her child protested to even having children around this time. She felt sick, knowing that Jo hadn't come out to tell her what was going on in her life so she could, in turn, tell her what was going on in hers. A few people knew of her pregnancy, but not even all of them were there to comfort her, congratulate her, or hear her out, and that made her angry. She trailed down the stairs, gripping at the railing as she tried to bypass Archie, who stood in the middle of the staircase, staring up at her.

 

“Uh-oh, who made _you_ angry?” He teased as he toyed with the empty beer bottle in his hands. She groaned, looking away and back at Archie. She wondered what her life had been like if she married him, though none of what she thought had been desirable to her. She leaned forward, tapping his shoulders before whispering into his ear, “Go home.”

 

He watched her leave, before grabbing her left hand, studying the ring on her finger. He poked it twice and tossed her hand away, glaring at her. She brought her hand to her stomach out of habit, now, and quickly lowered it. He stared into her eyes, looking down at her in utter disgust.

 

“Don't tell me you're pregnant.” He spoke softly, as he attempted to drink from the empty bottle, oblivious to the fact that he had finished yet another beer in under a few minutes. “And plus, I would've bought you a better ring.” Lacey scoffed, shaking her head as she turned around, seeing the only positive familiar face behind her as he stepped by her side, holding her by the waist. Her heart began beating faster, as she figured Danny had heard what Archie said to her before the whole wedding ring incident.

 

“You don't like it? I thought it fit her personality very well.” Danny interrupted. He had this smirk, this amused smirk, knowing that, just like Lacey had thought, his prediction was correct. Archie grimaced, looking at the couple, raising a finger.

 

“You two are married?” He asked. Archie thought for a minute, remembering the action Lacey had just performed to her stomach before Danny had arrived. He shook his head, disbelief crossing his face also with rage.

 

Danny looked at Lacey, a bit uneasy at the fact that she hadn't mentioned their marriage to him by now, assuming that they had been talking for a while.

  
“I thought she would've told you.” Danny spoke, still eyeing his wife while informing Archie.

 

Archie sat on the steps, glaring at Danny, as he stood up, walking towards Danny. “And you have the nerve to show up back in Green Grove with Lacey as your wife and your-”

 

“Can we go?” Lacey asked loudly. She tugged on Danny's arm, pulling him away from Archie before an altercation began, just like back in high school. Danny pulled away from her gently, walking out of the house before she could. Lacey trailed behind him, careful enough to watch her step as he got into the car. She could tell Danny was annoyed, but she wasn't sure why. She sat in the passenger seat, looking at Danny as he began driving. She constantly asked what was wrong with him, but each time she tried to make an effort at a conversation, he would just remain quiet, until they reached their apartment.

 

“You know I'm not fond of Archie, Lacey.” Danny spoke, following her into their bedroom as they began undressing from their costumes.

 

“It's just, I don't understand why it always has to be a recap of high school between you two.” She spoke softly, shoving her Superwoman costume into her closet. The same yellow bag fell from the closet, propping itself onto the floor by her side of the bed. Lacey looked over her shoulder, seeing Danny turn away quickly to hide that he was studying her.

 

“I don't get what's going on here. First you're basically mute for two weeks and now you're taking up for Archie. Are you hiding something from me?” He asked.

 

Lacey stayed quiet, guilt overwhelming her body. She closed her eyes slowly, shaking her head faintly, as she opened them back, slipping on a pink silk sleeveless nightgown.

 

“I'm not.”

 

“Couldn't fool me.” Danny murmured under his breath. Lacey looked over her shoulder, pouting as she stared at her smart mouth husband.

 

“What's that supposed to mean?”

 

“It means that you're hiding something from me. That yellow bag, Archie's statement. I feel like you're more invested in keeping your secrets with them rather than with me. Am I not your husband? Am I not the man you spoke your vows to?”

 

“Just stop!” She blurted, looking at Danny. He simply stared at her, shocked by her outburst.

 

Lacey stared back at Danny, a wave of emotions coming to her. She lowered her head, sitting on the edge of the bed, fumbling with her fingers. Danny sat beside her, sporting just boxers and his hair which rested on his shoulders. He grabbed her hand, holding it in his, caressing it with his thumb. He watched, helplessly as tears streamed down her face. He hadn't seen Lacey cry much, since she always was good at hiding her emotions, even though he knew ways to break down those barriers of hers. Just like now. Her body trembled, as he merely held her hand, just his touch alone could make her break when she felt weak. She turned to Danny, whose eyes appeared concerned, questioning her thoughts. She faced the closet, walking towards it, grabbing hold of the small bag, holding it tightly in her hands. Lacey took in a deep breath, trying to unsuccessfully calm herself before handing the bag over to her husband. He looked at her, and then back at the bag, taking it gently as he reached inside. Inside, he felt fabric against his hands. Curious as to what it was, he pulled it out, holding up before him a small baby onesie, blue and red, with the symbol on the front, a small red cape attached to the back.

 

Lacey stared at her feet, sure that she would most likely hear Danny's awkward and confused tone. He held it close to him, glancing at her, before reaching for the second object in the bag. There, inside, wrapped in gift tissue was the positive test, revealing itself to him.

 

Danny felt all his muscles tense as he held the two objects in his hands. He glanced at his wife, holding up the objects, though she didn't face him. She didn't even want to look at him. All she could feel was her heart shattering each second that passed.

 

“You're pregnant?” Danny asked. His heart pounded against his chest as he laid the objects on the bed. Lacey nodded, holding her arms in front of her body, as if to shield her and the baby from him.

 

“I'm sorry.” She whispered, her tears dropping on the silk. Danny scooted closer to her, slowly taking her arms away from the front of her body, placing his hand on her pelvis. He knew it was too early to feel the baby move, and he didn't expect to feel anything right now. But the way Lacey felt his hand touch her body was that of pure sincerity. She looked at Danny, tears slightly blurring her vision, though she could tell that tears were blurring his, as well.

 

“Why are you sorry?” His voice shook, as he spoke to her. Two more tears fell as she looked at him, her vision more clear now.

  
“Because I knew you weren't ready for kids, now. I was scared to tell you, and I didn't know what to do.”

 

Danny's free hand wiped the tears from her face, and then his own, as he looked at his wife. She was so beautiful, even when she was most vulnerable. And even more beautiful knowing she was carrying his child.

 

“But you're pregnant, Lacey. How could you even try to keep this from me?” He chuckled a little at the thought of how she would even try to cover up her pregnancy as she progressed in size.

 

Lacey's face shown something that hasn't been there before in a while; a genuine smile. She shrugged a shoulder and looked at Danny, who leaned forward, kissing her. Lacey laid on the bed, while Danny rested beside her, kissing her as their bodies touched gently against each other.

 

“I love you, Lacey. I know what I said a few weeks back wasn't what you wanted to hear but nothing can take my love from you. I'll make sure that I'm ready to be a father, because there's no way in hell that I'm letting this opportunity pass us by.”

 

Lacey planted another kiss on his lips before laying back down on the bed.

 

“You aren't upset with me for keeping the baby a secret?” Lacey held Danny's face in her hands as he sighed, looking into her eyes. He looked away and then back at her.

 

“I was a little upset because I don't like secrets, Lace, you know that.”

 

Lacey nodded, understanding completely how he felt. She remembered the day she and Jo found out about Danny having his aunts necklace in his possession. She rolled over, being on top of Danny. She gripped his wrists, holding them over his head before leaning forward, whispering into his ear.

 

“Let me make it up to you.” She nibbled lightly on his earlobe, bringing her face down to his neck, kissing it lightly. She could feel Danny's hands attempting to fight her hands away from her, which she finally allowed. He wrapped his hands around her body, before slowly pulling up her night gown, his hands feeling all on her soft skin. He reached down, grabbing her ass, while gently moaning into her ear from the sensations of the neck kiss.

 

He rolled over, slipping off her nightgown, looking over her body, this body that he had missed for a few weeks, now. His attention diverted from her body, to her eyes, which looked at him, yearning for him to continue.

 

“Are you sure?” He asked cautiously. Lacey giggled, remembering how he had asked the same question when it was their first time together. She bit her bottom lip, nodding, lifting her body up to kiss him. He removed the rest of her clothing, flinging it across the room like he had did with his boxers. He guided himself inside of her, pleasure escaping their mouths at the feeling. Danny thrust himself into her slowly, his forehead on hers as he listened to her moan. To Lacey, it felt like all that had been on her shoulders was gone. Things had, in some way, gone back to normal, she thought. She couldn't help but smile. Not only because they were intimate, but because of how he reacted to her confession. She felt relaxed, and with each thrust of Danny inside of her, she felt even better.

 

Danny's hips grazed hers as he collided into her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, bringing him in deeper. Danny's hand grabbed onto her breast, massaging gently. He let go, gripping the bed shits as he slowed his pace. Lacey's back arched as he continuously hit her spot over and over. She held onto Danny, as he gripped onto the bed, both of them climaxing, breathless and sweaty. Danny kissed her forehead, pulling her close to him as he laid on his pillow, both of them trying to steady their breaths.

 

Lacey let her index finger draw imaginary circles along Danny's abdomen while she listened to his breathing become heavy. He had fallen asleep, though she was still partially awake. She smirked to herself, yet quickly ceased once she heard the faint buzzing coming from the living room. She had remembered leaving her phone in her purse on the couch. Lacey quickly got to her feet, bare, to retrieve her phone. A text from Phoebe lit up the screen. A simple, “We have to talk” nearly made Lacey's heart pound as she stood there. A cool breeze from a window opened ajar chilled her body. She quickly walked back to her bedroom, tucking herself into bed, holding onto Danny's body as her phone laid right in her hand.  


	7. Chapter 7

A pitcher of iced tea was planted in the center of their new kitchen counter, so perfectly marbled. Nearby, she could hear the guys, both Danny and Tyler, carrying desks upstairs and heavy boxes with electronics. Jo and Lacey had offered to lend a hand, but turned down Lacey's help and gave Jo light things to work with, like plugging up the blender, and pushing chairs into the living room. All Lacey's job was to sit in any chair that made her most comfortable. The royal treatment at best for the Queen carrying the Prince or Princess. It all seemed perfectly well to be back in Green Grove, close to family and friends, again, though the tension between both Lacey and Jo made moving into such a lavish house in their hometown feel heavy and uneasy. Lacey sat at the dining room table, a bottle of water in her hands. She saw Jo coming from the living room, as she glanced at Lacey, sitting in front of her at the table. Lacey turned her head. The only words they've spoken in the month that they haven't communicated were “Hey” and Lacey telling Jo where to put the furniture. It was awkward, and the fact that Lacey was always tired now, almost always made her grumpy, even to think that Jo was being unfaithful to Tyler.

 

Lacey pursed her lips, trying hard not to blurt out a thousand questions. She wanted answers, though she wasn't entitled to them.

 

_How did this start? Who kissed who first? Who are you going to choose?_

 

Jo rubbed the back of her neck, tilting her head to the side. She looked over her shoulder, making sure that Tyler and Danny were still upstairs so she could begin addressing her dilemma.

 

“So,” Jo began as she turned around, facing Lacey. Lacey's eyes trailed over to Jo, who was staring down at the table. She paused for a moment, biting her lip a little and looked up at her friend. “I think I'd want to tell you about Rico and I.”

 

Lacey thought for a minute about how to respond to her friend's situation. She wanted to know but she didn't want to seem nosy to the point that Jo refrained from telling her anything, and she didn't want to appear too cavalier to the point where she didn't even bother telling her the whole thing.

 

Lacey placed a comforting hand on her friends hand, slightly confused yet wanting to be there for her.

 

“Jo, you can trust me. I promise.” She smiled. Jo nodded, her eyes watering. She looked away from Lacey and glanced over her shoulder again, making sure none of the guys were intruding. Lacey was almost positive that she would witness Jo cry, as she held her hand gently. She had never seen Jo cry or show such strong emotion since the time she called her out on “abandoning” her in middle school. Those were messy times, but now Lacey was there for her when she needed a girlfriend the most. She could finally show redemption. Just as Jo began to open her mouth and begin her story, a small knock was heard from the opened front door. The sound of someone walking to the dining room caused Jo and Lacey to stand up in defense. Yet, the duo relaxed, seeing Phoebe walking in, a crooked smile painted on her lips.

 

“Hey, I got Tyler's text saying that he and Jo would help you guys move in today.”

 

Jo turned her back to Phoebe, quickly wiping away a single tear that fell on her cheek. Lacey held onto her arm, wanting Jo to look her in her eyes.

 

“I think I'm gonna go upstairs and help the guys.” Jo said, forcing herself to smile.

 

“Okay, but remember what we were about to discuss.” Lacey whispered to her. Jo nodded, brushing past Phoebe to go and help the guys upstairs. Phoebe walked over to Lacey, throwing her arms around her neck to give a warm embrace, though Lacey wasn't tolerating it. The last thing she needed was ex-boyfriend drama while she was married and expecting her first child.

 

“I'm so sorry I disappeared.” She spoke softly, almost forcing herself to cry for forgiveness. Lacey sighed, sitting back down, sipping on her water. She shrugged a shoulder and looked at her friend, unamused with her on cue acting skills.

 

“You disappeared and I had to fend off Archie by myself. Thanks.” Lacey said in slight annoyance. She watched Danny leave the house, coming back inside with the wardrobe for both him and Tyler to fix together. He glanced at Lacey, winking, before calling Tyler down for help to carry it upstairs with him.

 

Lacey turned her attention back to Phoebe, who seemed upset and angered.

 

“I wanted to tell you about Archie.” She spoke softly. Phoebe pushed her hair behind her shoulders, eager to explain herself without any distractions. Lacey sighed, rolling her eyes. Everyone wanted to spill their secrets with her today. She felt like she was apart of this popular advice column, while Jo and Phoebe were her metaphorical letters.

 

“What's going on?”

 

“It's about Regina,” Lacey shook her head slowly, getting up and walking towards the middle of the house. Phoebe grabbed onto Lacey's sweater. “Listen to me!”

 

“I'm listening.” Lacey whispered back angrily. Phoebe sighed and shifted her weight to one leg, folding her arms across her chest.

 

“The night that Regina died...I was there. Her Connecticut boy toy was Danny's dad but she also had a thing for Archie before she died,” Phoebe looked down at her shoes and back at Lacey, afraid to look her thoroughly in the eye. “I borrowed my moms car because I visited my grandma in Manhattan that night. I left her house at ten and I got a flat nearby her house. I decided to walk the rest of the way home and go get Tyler to come back for the car in the morning. I saw Archie leaving Regina's house, and he saw me but I pretended I didn't see him. The next day at school, he threatened that if I told anybody...”

 

Lacey stared at her, watching her walk towards the table and slump down in the seat. She didn't know what to think, or what to believe. She swallowed, unsure whether to take Phoebe seriously or not. If Archie were as serious as she claimed he were, she'd be dead by now.

 

“Are you sure that's what happened? None of this is a vivid image?”

 

“I'm telling you the truth, Lacey,” Phoebe shook her head, and turned around, seeing Lacey standing behind her. “I'm not going to live a life where I'm always scared, believe me.”

 

Lacey sat down in front of her, but Phoebe stood up. Her pained, emotional face turned cold for a moment, looking past Lacey.

 

“Phoebe?” Lacey leaned forward a little, seeing Phoebe stand up.

 

“I gotta go.” She said softly, turning away and hurrying out of the house.

 

“Phoebe?” Lacey called, rushing to the front door. She watched as she got into her car, heading out of the driveway from next to the large U-Haul truck, and speeding down the street. Lacey folded her arms in front of her chest, confused. She walked away from the door and further into the house, seeing Danny, Jo, and Tyler walking down the steps.

 

“That's it for today. Thank you, guys, really.” Danny smirked, patting Tyler on the back. Jo and Lacey exchanged awkward looks, along with curt waves, before Danny closed the door. He walked over to his wife, pulling her into an embrace while kissing her, a small smile on his lips.

 

Lacey broke the kiss, stroking his hair while looking into his eyes. She couldn't help but see how excited he was about the big move and how this would affect their lives for the better and for the baby.

 

“Told you we had enough money.” Lacey whispered. Danny chuckled, nodding back, kissing her nose before agreeing verbally.

 

“You were right.” He admitted, backing away from his wife as he headed to go upstairs.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

Danny looked over his shoulder, scoffing as he shrugged.

 

“I'm going to the bedroom.”

 

“I thought we could see how the counter worked, or the living room sofa.” Lacey winked, taking off her shirt and tossing it Danny's way. He caught it in his hands, laughing a little as he hurried upstairs. She chased behind him, hurrying to the bedroom. She waited outside the room, taking off her bra and tossing it inside. Yet, when she didn't receive a reaction, she walked in, topless, wondering what he was up to. Sure enough, there he was, sitting on the bed, her black bra laying next to him while he typed quickly. His fingers bounced on the keyboard faster than she had ever seen. She smirked, seeing him in his element before grabbing her bra, putting it on. She laid down next to him.

 

“My back.” She whined a little, failing miserably as she attempted to massage it herself. She expected Danny's hands to gently trail all along her body, asking her to turn over so he could massage her, but instead, all she got from him was the sound of bounced keys. He was focused, almost too focused. She jabbed at his side with her foot, playfully wanting some attention from her husband, who instead continued typing, a small smile on his face.

 

“Yes?”

 

“I was hoping we could have some fun, you know? Like, real _fun._ ” Lacey suggested. Her fingers danced to his zipper, pulling it down slowly. To her surprise, he wasn't even phased by her actions. Instead, he simply zipped it back up and sighed.

 

“Kinda busy right now, babe.” he reminded, before continuing his work. Lacey pouted, turning over and relaxing on her new, big, fluffy bed.

 

“What do you want for dinner?” She asked. She applauded herself for finally being able to eat solid foods once again.

 

“Anything you want.” He murmured, continuing his typing.

 

Click, Click, Click,

 

God, the noise was enough for anyone to get annoyed if that's all they heard 24/7. A part of her wanted to just accept the fact that she was married to a writer, meanwhile the other had hoped that he could just put his laptop down sometimes and just be with her, hold her, and have lots of _fun,_ like they used to.

 

She groaned to herself, and turned over, looking up at him and his very concentrated demeanor. She couldn't deny how attractive he was, especially while working, but she ignored it, for now, and rested her arm on his lap temporarily.

 

“Tomorrow at two thirty I have my first ultrasound, okay babe?”

 

He nodded and glanced at her, smiling.

 

“No problem. I'll be there with you.”

 

Lacey smirked, rolling over, closing her eyes for an afternoon nap. She couldn't help but feel like reminding him again just in case he had forgotten. She knew how important writing was to him, but she trusted him, believing that the baby was so important to both of them that he wouldn't miss the very first viewing of their first baby. She sighed, an uneasiness warping her stomach, but she shook it off as the keys behind her continued to click and clack against his fingers.

 

–

 

The well rounded bellies in the obstetric ultrasonography clinic almost made Lacey feel like an amateur. They were all talking to one another about when their babies were due and how happy they were to be a mother for the first, second, and even third time. Yet, they didn't include Lacey in the conversation, no matter how nervous she looked. Her face was expressionless, though her bouncing leg was enough to make the most cavalier person uptight.

 

She checked her phone for about the hundredth time, hoping to see a call from Danny or even a text saying, “I'm on my way” but nothing had even come through. She sighed, remembering the last time she tried to call Danny. He was “in the shower”.

 

Sure he was.

 

She checked her phone again, this time for her schedule. 2:30.

 

A woman with a large belly waddled out of the room with her husband beside her. They both looked so happy and excited. Lacey looked at the front door, hoping to see Danny rushing inside. She wouldn't even be mad if he came a little late. Just the fact that he was there with her was enough.

 

“Lacey Desai?” The woman called out. Lacey feigned a smile, grabbing her purse and coat and walking inside the room. She looked over her shoulder one last time, hoping to see Danny standing right there with the biggest grin and the biggest jar of Nutella and carrot sticks, but she saw neither of the things she wanted, to her dismay. Her heart broke as she walked into the room, alone, with no one to share this moment with, and no one to even cry tears of joy with, except the technician who squeezed out a cold jell onto her abdomen, and placing a type of instrument on her pelvis, rolling it over and examining the baby with Lacey. Though she was alone, she couldn't help but feel the love for her child while actually seeing it on screen. So small, yet so precious.

 

After the examination, with a copy of her ultrasound, reminder to take her prenatal vitamins, and an appointment for next time, Lacey walked out of the clinic, taking her car keys out of her purse and walking into her car. She checked the time: 2:45, before driving out of the parking lot. She drove down the road, visibly upset, seeing Danny nearly running to the clinic. She honked the horn at him, making him stop. He looked in the window, seeing Lacey, and got inside, catching his breath. She glared at him, while he put his phone back into his pocket.

 

“How was the appointment?” He asked through the devastatingly awkward silence. She glanced at him and handed him the picture that she had in her purse.

 

“Fine.” Lacey spoke. The ice in her words sent a chill down Danny's back. He wasn't in the best mood either, but Lacey's anger beat both of theirs. Once she pulled into the driveway, Lacey hurried up the stairs and to the bedroom.

 

“Lacey?” He called out, rushing behind her. However, once he was in the room, his laptop which was perfectly planted in the middle of the bed was now hidden.

 

“Why weren't you there with me earlier?”

 

Danny sighed and sat on the bed. He knew she'd overreact. It's just the first ultrasound. It's not like it was the birth. Yet, knowing how engulfed he was in his work, Lacey figured he'd probably bring a laptop to the Labor and Delivery section of the hospital instead of rooting for her inside.

 

“I found out from my agent that he didn't like the idea. He needs something deeper, and more touching than starting a family.”

 

And there it was; like adding fuel to fire. That's what Lacey had been prepping herself for day in and day out for ever since she told Danny she was pregnant. She stared in shock at her husband, clearly unwilling to accept what she had just heard.

 

“You know, I'm starting to feel like your agent and your career is more important than what's going on with our marriage.” Lacey scoffed, shaking her head as she began undressed herself.

 

“That's unfair, Lacey. I've always supported your job. The least you can do is support mine.” Danny watched her undress, though it was clear that he wasn't changing into more comfortable clothes any time soon. Danny had other plans in mind.

 

“The least? That's funny because I've been doing most of the work around here.”

 

“You? Are you sure because last time I checked, I found the house, Tyler and I fixed it up, and I put most of the money for the down payment.”

 

“I'm carrying _our_ baby, Danny. I don't ask for much. All I ask is for you to spend some time with your wife here and there and help me when I feel nauseous or tired. That's it.”

 

“Can we have _one_ conversation where the baby isn't a topic? My career is in jeopardy and somehow the baby is being used as a guilt trip.”

 

“Having a baby is important for a family. We can't just brush this off!” Lacey felt her voice rising and took a few seconds to get herself together, though it barely worked. “All I want is for you to prove to me that you can handle having a baby right now and that it's not some sort of nuisance to you.”

 

Danny stared back at her, frozen, watching her. She caught him right where he was thinking. She could feel her heart tearing as she looked into his eyes, his unapologetic and confused eyes. Those same eyes she looked into when he was eleven, holding that yell- red jumprope in his hands. The way it fell to the ground could mimic how her heart nearly stopped at the silence he threw back in response to her plea. She knew arguing wasn't good for her nor the baby, but she couldn't stop herself, and she hated herself for getting too worked up over this.

 

“I need air.” He claimed. She watched as he stormed out of the bedroom, jogging down the stairs and out of the house. He took it upon himself to take the car with him, as if he were the adult taking a toy from the child. That's how Lacey felt. But she was, too, unapologetic for the fuss she put up. Why wouldn't he be there for her? This was their first child, and they needed to go through this together, as a team, not as simple individuals with no one to help them out or support them. That's all she wanted. That's all she needed.

 

Lacey walked downstairs, knowing that he'd be back in about an hour. That's what he did in Manhattan. Except he didn't take the car. All he did was walk around outside and come home just in time for dinner. However, she considered his feelings so much that the one problem she didn't consider was what was happening in his mind. Their love was truly present, yet their communication was the absolute worse. All she did was sit in the living room, watching television, waiting for him to return, but woke up hours later to an empty house and no car in the driveway.

 

“Danny?” She called, sitting up, rubbing her eyes. Her stomach growled, yearning for food and thankfully not even nauseous. She opened the door, seeing no car in the driveway. Lacey closed the door, walking upstairs and even to the creepy attic to see if he was thinking alone somewhere.

 

No Danny.

 

She sighed to herself, shaking her head as she walked to the kitchen, fixing herself a sandwich and saving half of it for him for when he came home. But that didn't do any good because dinner was long gone after she waited another ten minutes for him. She had plopped onto her bed, upstairs, a little nervous to be home alone in this big new house. She sighed, closing her eyes for what she had assumed was a few minutes.

 

Lacey tossed and turned, unable to sleep good. This restlessness reminded her of her wedding day, which she was frantic about. She turned over, hoping to have felt the warmth from his shirtless body laying next to her, but instead was greeted by sheets and pillows. She opened her eyes, sitting up quickly, looking around and seeing her bedroom with the lights still on just like she had left them. Her eyes were heavy and hurt from staying up so late waiting for him. About two hours had gone past since she last checked her phone, hoping to get a call from Jo or Tyler to inform her that he had plans to spend the night to blow off some steam. If that were so, she'd be glad he was safe, and simply continue her “anger” simply to show she wasn't the weak one. However Lacey's thought ran amok when she traveled through the large house by herself. It was 1:45 AM, and Danny still wasn't home.  


	8. Chapter 8

The restless night she endured was one that she seemed all too familiar with. Despite being in such a large house alone, Lacey's tossing and turning reminded her too much of her wedding day. Tossing and turning, waking up too many times in one night. She had figured that once she woke up from resting for a few minutes, she'd turn over and hug onto Danny, holding him close to her. Yet, every time she opened her eyes, she felt a mixture of disappointment, worry, and angst overcome her. It was about three o'clock in the morning when she decided that she had enough of worrying. She had called Jo, wondering if he was sleeping over, but Jo denied ever seeing Danny that day. Then she tried a more likely person- her mother-in-law. But, of course, all Lacey got was a ringing phone. But, once she saw the sky lighting up outside her window, and the alarm clock which revealed the time, 5:01, she forced herself out of bed to start the day and start making calls. She had called Jo as soon as she sat up, making plans to meet at Johnny Cakes by 6:00. She needed something, or someone to distract her from her recurring worries about Danny.

 

She stepped out of the bedroom, quickly walking to the bathroom to brush her teeth and shower. The warm water danced along her body, trickling down each part. What she needed was cold water to properly wake her up, but nothing would do the trick. She was exhausted, and she knew that her eyes showed how much of a terrible night she had. After simply slipping on jeans and a tank, Lacey grabbed her purse and car keys, jogging down the steps, and stopping at the bottom, seeing Danny laying on the couch. He had a pillow from their bedroom beneath his head while his feet hung over the edge of the couch, just dangling. She stared, hesitant, wondering whether or not she should wake him up and apologize or just forget about it and continue to Johnny Cakes.

 

Lacey frowned, turning away from Danny and walking out of the door. She got into the car, driving down the street, waiting in her car for Jo to text her about her arrival. Lacey stared into her rearview mirror, seeing an army green Jeep pull up behind her. Jo was trying to get out of the car, but Tyler kept asking her for a kiss, to which she planted one quickly on his cheek before leaving the car. Once Tyler had drove off, Lacey stepped outside, seeing the awkward look of guilt on Jo's face.

 

“Everything okay?” Lacey wished she hadn't even asked for the simple reason that she knew the answer she was bound to get. Jo looked at her, her eyes red from tears as she nodded, heading inside the nearly empty diner, first. Once they had both sat down, Jo sniffed, and looked up at Lacey, her eyes pleading for someone to listen, even if Jo had asked her questions first.

 

“Did Danny get home?” She asked, resting her hands on top of the menu. Lacey looked down, and nodded. She looked Jo in the eyes, sighing. She must've replayed this story at least fifteen times in her mind, sure that that's the reason why Danny left her last night. It hurt to bring it up, but it felt good to let it out at the same time.

 

“I didn't tell you before but Danny never knew about the pregnancy. The day we found out, he told me he didn't want kids. It wasn't until Halloween that he found out.”

 

Jo's mouth opened a little as she listened.

 

“So, what's wrong, _now_?”

 

God, Lacey hated that. _What's wrong now?_ To her, it made her sound like a basket case. That end part, “ _now_ ” made it seem like something was always going wrong in her life and that nothing could go right. Yet, Lacey was starting to feel that way. She hated arguing with Danny and putting stress on the relationship, her, and the baby, and she hated how nothing seemed to go as planned and that everyday she found herself pouting at Danny's idiotic remarks or whenever he picked up his laptop.

 

Lacey bit her tongue, fighting herself on not to ask Jo what she meant by “now”, though she'd probably deem her as crazy and state that those tricky pregnancy hormones were finally getting to her, which they actually were. She found herself crying over spilled milk. No, literally, spilled milk. She had gone downstairs wanting some cereal, but when she saw Danny wiping up the last bit of milk from their counter, she nearly freaked out.

 

“It was our first ultrasound of the baby and I wanted him there with me. He said he'd be there, but he missed it. I found him power walking to the clinic when I was already in the car on the way home. When I asked why he wasn't there, it was because of his job. He lost track of time confronting his agent about something or another. He works from home everyday, even on weekends. He needs a break, but he's obsessed with his job. So, we got into an argument about his job and I told him to let me know when he's ready to be a father and he walked out. I saw him for the first time in the past hours sleeping on the couch.”

 

Jo stared at Lacey, a small smirk on her face that made Lacey's blood boil. Jo leaned forward, a chuckle escaping her mouth as she thought about what they argued about.

 

“I'm sorry, it's just that you guys are such a perfect match. I swear, you guys are both too stubborn to see each other's side of the story.”

  
“That's not fair, Jo. You know nothing about our marriage.”

 

“But I know you guys like the back of my hand, Lace. He's stubborn and so are you. You don't like to feel isolated and neither does he, but when it comes to the baby, you'll have to learn how to work together. You're scared and he is, too. This is your first child together. Too much baby talk can make him feel suffocated and too much work can make you feel neglected. I'm sorry but your communication skills suck.”

 

Lacey clenched her fists, annoyance overcoming her.

 

“Speak for yourself.” Lacey spoke, tilting her head to the side. She challenged Jo to throw another Dr. Phil speech at her, even though she knew it were right. All she had wished was that she found it out for herself and NOT with Jo's help, though it did make her feel better to have someone lend an ear.

 

Jo sighed, going quiet for a moment before closing her eyes, words trailing out of her mouth like a waterfall.

 

“We had a huge fight last night. I couldn't even sleep. Even when I got up to use the bathroom there was always some sort of smart remark behind it. I can't take it anymore.”

 

Lacey was shocked that Jo let the conversation end right then and there about her and Danny without a fight, but instead of continuing on with snappy remarks, all she did was listen. It was her turn to, in a way, “make up for lost time” when she didn't even bother listening to her when it came to Danny.

 

The pause between the young women was sure enough awkward. She couldn't help but feel for her and how she remembered the time she woke up in the middle of the night, witnessing Danny seem overly distressed about their arguing, though they never seemed to stop, no matter how bad it hurt the both of them to continue it on.

 

“And you and Rico? What's up with that?”

 

Jo sighed and rummaged in her pocket, taking out an engagement ring and placing it on the table. Lacey studied it, and looked back at Jo. The look on her face was pitiful, though Lacey felt confused through the whole conversation.

 

“I'm engaged.” She shrugged, putting it back in her sweater pocket. That same yellow sweater that she and her friends used to secretly tease her over in the halls. The same yellow sweater that she wore through high school. Lacey had her moments before she and Jo reconnected that

 

“To who?” Lacey felt almost silly for asking her that question, as if Jo had slept with the whole office. Lacey tried to make her facial expression seem sincere since she didn't want her to think that other occurrences were going through her mind like she had been with other men besides Tyler and Rico.

 

“Tyler, but I don't know how to tell him, and I don't know how to call off the engagement.”

 

Lacey thought for a moment and expressed herself from her own views. She remembered the first kiss, as teens, that she and Danny shared. She was dating Archie, and she was confused. She wanted both of them, but who she wanted more was the challenge. She broke up with Archie without even telling him about her and Danny.

 

“Don't tell Tyler about you and Rico,” She began. Jo looked at her, confused and slightly shocked at what she had said. “Just call it off and he'll just assume everything went wrong and that you weren't cheating.”

 

Jo thought for a minute and shrugged a shoulder, rubbing the back of her neck.

 

“I don't know. I'm a bad liar.” She smirked, attempting to pick up her menu though she knew that she wanted to continue their discussion.

 

“I'm sure Tyler won't freak out too bad,” Jo chuckled, which, in turn, led Lacey to smile for the first time since she had gotten so worried about Danny. “Tyler's a good guy.”

 

Jo nodded and looked into Lacey's eyes, true sincerity in her voice as well as her eyes.

 

“And so is Danny.”

  
Lacey could feel her cheeks turning red from embarrassment. Perhaps she was being too hard on Danny, ignoring his feelings and only putting hers first. However, he did the same with his job. His work frustrated, yet delighted him just as much as any writer out there, but too much work led Lacey to feel neglected. She loved Danny, and she loved him everyday, though she wished there was a way he could prove how ready he was for a child. She needed it. She fed off of the thought of having a family with the man she loved. But, what could she possibly do if her husband didn't even want the child she was already carrying? The thought pained her to the core to even consider her options, once again.

 

_An annulment? Adoption? ..._

  
The bell indicating someone had walked into the diner startled Lacey. Danny had flooded her mind so quickly that she thought he had come by to grab some coffee, however, upon looking up from her menu, she saw Phoebe.

 

“Look who just came in,” Lacey said under her breath. Jo glanced over her shoulder, feeling like Phoebe's “bestie” monitor beeped each time she and Jo were together. Lacey stood up, taking only two steps towards Phoebe before having their eyes meet. Phoebe stood staring at Lacey, like a deer in headlights, before turning around and rushing out of Johnny Cakes. “Wait!”

 

Lacey hurried to the door, hoping to catch Phoebe before she got away to question her motives. As Lacey stood in the doorway, watching Phoebe take off in her car, just like the other day. Jo placed her hand on Lacey's shoulder, holding their bags as she trying peeking out behind her to find out what was going on.

 

“What was all that about?”

 

“She left. Something's up with her.” Lacey murmured as she turned to Jo who seemed just as confused as she was.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Lacey looked down at Jo, leaving Johnny Cakes and getting into her car with Jo in the passenger seat. She had explained all that Phoebe had told her and swore her to secrecy that she wouldn't say a word to Tyler, though she had hoped her promise was anything but empty.

 

Throughout the ride, Lacey listened to Jo's theories behind why Phoebe could be acting strange. The thought of Regina and Archie, And Vikram, and Phoebe just brought on a headache, which also formed from lack of sleep last night. Everything seemed so frazzled and incoherent while she tried getting home. To Lacey, it felt like Green Grove was Drama Central. Everything happened here and almost everyone kept grudges. But, despite her recap of middle school, high school, and even her final, happy days in Green Grove while driving further upstate with Danny to their college. A weight felt lifted from her shoulders to be free from that suffocating town, but was brought back once she saw Archie's intoxicated eyes and Phoebe's tearful confession. Something just didn't seem right.

 

Lacey pulled into the driveway. Jo began to exit the car to enter her home, yet Lacey pulled her back inside.

 

“Wait.”

 

“What's wrong?”

 

“I feel weird for asking you this, but, can you keep and eye out...you know...on Tyler? Maybe his phone? You can see if he and Phoebe said anything strange?”

 

Jo scoffed and thought for a minute before addressing her friend.

 

“You want me to spy on my fian- my boyfriend's sister just because she said Archie was after her?”

 

Despite Jo's smile, Lacey met hers with pure seriousness.

 

“I need you to help me out, here, please?”

 

Jo, feeling uneasy about everything, simply sighed and nodded quickly.

 

“I'll see what I can do.” She spoke breathlessly. Lacey got out of the car with her friend, heading for the front door. Once Lacey turned the knob, sure enough there was Danny, in the kitchen cooking breakfast. He looked over his shoulder for a brief moment, seeing the two women walk inside.

 

“Ah, Jo, come to be a referee?” Danny teased. Jo laughed nervously and turned to Lacey who just seemed tense at the sight of him. Jo opened the door wider, stepping outside.

 

“Actually, I just came by with Lacey. I'll be fine walking home by myself.”

 

“Are you sure? That's like a fifteen minute walk.” Lacey insisted on driving her, though Jo walked off to head to her apartment.

 

Lacey locked the door and stared at Danny. His back faced her, but she couldn't help but feel like he was still watching her. She headed for the living room to go up the stairs, but stopped. She spun around on her heel, heading back into the kitchen.

 

“When did you get home?” She asked softly, sitting at the kitchen table.

 

“Uh, four this morning.”

 

“Where did you go?”

 

“I stayed with my mom. We talked about... _stuff_ , reminisced, and she showed me pictures of our first kiss.” He scoffed, placing slabs of bacon on a plate and setting it in the middle of the table before returning to the stove.

 

“Why didn't you sleep somewhere more comfortable like our bed?”

 

“Well I slept, didn't I?” He snapped back. Lacey felt that all questions she had wanted to be answered had flown from her memory.

 

“Danny we need to talk.” Her voice was soft and raspy. Danny turned off the stove, wiping his hands on his sweat pants before turning around, leaning against the counter. The distance between them, which to the average person wasn't much, was _too_ much for Lacey. She pushed the chair across from her out with her foot. He glanced from her to it and walked towards it, sitting down with a sigh. He folded his hands, leaning forward on the table.

 

“What's up?”

 

At this moment, she detested how he acted like they didn't just argue last night, and that she didn't just sleep a whole night without him there. She detested how she figured he thought that an argument can be pushed aside without being talked about to fix their differences. But most of all, she hated how cavalier he appeared to be.

 

“I feel that, as your wife, you don't pay any attention to me anymore. I don't want to keep fighting, and I don't want you to be upset about the baby anymore. I need you to realize that I'm scared and that I want support not only from my mother, father, and Karen, but I need it from you, too. And I know that I'm scared, and I know you are, too. But we have to do this, together.”

 

Lacey watched as Danny stared back at her, his eyes red from either future tears or lack of sleep. Most likely both. He lowered his head, a small smile on his face.

 

“You know, my biggest fear about this baby is that I won't be a good enough father. I won't know how to be there for our child through the rest of his or her life from age eleven afterward. I'm just scared because it came so suddenly that I won't know how to do anything.” A single tear fell from Danny's eye and landed on the table. He reminisced on his father being absent when his mother would come visit him once a week. But what hurt the most was that he wasn't there to see him make the biggest achievements of his life, and he wanted so desperately to be there for his son or daughter.

 

“Do what comes naturally, sweetie. We just need each other.” Lacey changed her seat to sit right beside him. He rested his head on her shoulder, while a gentle hand placed itself on her pelvis.

 

“I love you,” Danny whispered through slight sobs. For a moment, Lacey felt that they were coming together, finally, truly, as a family to take the time out and attempt at working together. But, what Lacey had heard next melted her heart for sure. “ _Both_ of you.”  


	9. Chapter 9

There was a chair. A wooden rocking chair was all that resided in the corner of the empty guest room. So spacious, wide, and beautiful, and...plain. The wall was simply white, and the floor was a little dusty though wooden floors is what appealed Lacey from the get-go. But from what the Desais saw from the doorway they stood in, it would be a perfect place for their child, even as they grew up. Lacey imagined all the times she would come in this room and see her child playing with blocks, then coloring books, then video games and friends, and then knocking on the door, hoping that their kid's house guest was fully clothed on the opposite side of the locked door. She loved every thought, knowing that she was raising a kid well with the man she truly, 100% loved.

 

The tall man faced his wife, who was intently scanning the room, mumbling off ideas to herself. She stepped inside, and sighed, turning around to face her husband who followed behind her.

 

“I want the chair by the window so that I can hold her early in the mornings.” Lacey stated as she walked towards the chair, placing her hand on it. She sighed, feeling the cool breeze from the Autumn afternoon chill her body in the best way. She could only imagine holding her baby, and gazing off into the sunrise, two out of her three favorite things. The other favorite was standing nearby, chuckling at the words that just escaped her mouth. Lacey turned around seeing Danny leaning against the wall, his arms folded across his chest.

 

“How do you know it's gonna be a girl?”

 

Lacey felt butterflies in her stomach as she walked back over to her husband. He held her by her waist, pulling her close so that their lips met in a sweet kiss. Lacey's lips parted from his as she thought for a minute and shrugged, not knowing that she had already given their baby a gender, unintentionally.

 

“Must've slipped out. But hey, nothing wrong with a little princess under the rule of a Queen and her King.” Lacey teased as she brushed her nose against his. She watched Danny's smile broaden, though she turned around instead of admiring it. 

 

“Nothing wrong with a little prince, either.” He stated, resting his chin on her shoulder. Her hand reached up, gently toying with his hair before full concentration about the nursery engulfed her, yet again. Lacey's eyes danced around the room, trying to gather her thoughts about the color schemes, the basics, and when they should begin attempting to work together for all this before nine months had come and gone.

 

“Okay, so I want the chair by the window, the crib in the center, the changing station to the left and the dresser right beside it,” Lacey's eyes closed as she imagined how perfect she wanted everything to be for their future child. “And I want the walls to be painted with designs.”

 

Danny refrained from asking how this were all necessary for a baby who wouldn't even remember it, though he did feel a certain type of joy in knowing that they were starting a family. After all, the best things in life did come by surprise, right?

 

“I'm up for whatever you want, just as long as we can do what I want.” Danny remarked softly.

 

Lacey felt Danny's hands travel along the front of her body, while his lips lightly kissed her neck. She bit her lip while a grin came across her face, spinning around and looking at him.

 

“Now who said that's the only thing that you want?” Lacey grinned, walking to the bedroom while she held onto her husband's wrist. She sat on the bed in front of him, as he leaned forward, trying to kiss her, though every time he tried, she scooted further onto the bed, away from him, teasing him. He crawled onto the bed, on top of her, pulling her body to his as he laid beside her. The couple explored each others mouths with their tongues, while Danny's hands explored his wife.

 

The teasing was too much for both of them. Lacey sat up, letting Danny undress her. Each article of clothing that escaped her body reminded him of their first time together and how nervous they both were. Except this was different. They weren't nervous, they were anxious. While sitting in her bra and nothing more, Danny's hands made their way to her breasts, grabbing and massaging as yearning moans crept from Lacey's mouth. She grabbed the front of her bra, pulling it down, revealing her breasts to Danny. His lips trailed from her neck to her chest, and down to her stomach, where he kissed, looking up at her. He brought his face to her legs, kissing the insides, while a tingly sensation crept up Lacey's back, arching at how bad she wanted him.

 

Danny slowly opened her legs, scooting closer to her body, before entering her slowly. He gripped onto her knees, as pleasure filled moans filled the room. Danny ceased his thrusts, pulling out, and smacking the side of her ass gently and quickly. Lacey grinned, knowing what position to try next. She turned over, her chest on the bed as her lower half was positioned for Danny. He entered her slowly, his hands on her waist with each thrust, his hands on her waist, gradually increasing his speed. Lacey gripped the sheets, pleasure overcoming her body as she trembled. Her eyes closed tightly, feeling herself finishing soon.

 

Yet, the couple slowed the pace when the sound of Lacey's phone went off in the other room. Although Danny ignored it, continuing deeper into her, Lacey's pleasure turned into curiosity within seconds, no matter how good Danny felt inside of her. Although she felt compelled to check her phone, she simply figured that whomever it was could wait and that enjoying the remainder of their intimacy was an absolute stress reliever for her. Besides, how awkward would it be to interrupt sex for a text?

 

Lacey bit her lip, enjoying the feeling once again as Danny continued. However, the sound of her phone ringing caught her attention. She turned around, seeing Danny's face slightly red from how into it he was, just she was. Lacey gasped, feeling herself coming close as Danny slammed into her, his groan arousing her further. She felt Danny's breath on her bare back. She shifted from the position, laying on the bed while Danny laid beside her.

 

Danny closed his eyes quickly, resulting in her cuddling up to him to bask in the romantic ambiance of each other. She rested on his shoulder, thinking for a moment before asking him a brief question.

 

“Danny?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

Lacey, at first hesitant, but now fully confident inhaled and exhaled before looking up at him.

 

“You're amazing.” She whispered, after detecting the heaviness of his breathing. For a while, she simply laid there before hearing the chime from her phone once again. She sighed, grabbing her robe to cover herself with, while she grabbed her phone from the window sill of the guest bedroom. She checked it, seeing a message from Jo. Lacey felt all tension that was just lifted away from her brought back. She thought she had nothing to worry about, being that she last spoke and saw her a week ago. Lacey redialed Jo after reading the text message: _I'm on my way over._

 

Lacey rolled her eyes, too tired to deal with Jo right now, and still engulfed in the amazing climax from their intimate moment. She placed the phone to her ear, hearing nothing but ringing, until Jo answered nervously.

 

“Lacey?”

 

“What? What's going on?”

 

“I need to see you. Phoebe is going into town at ten tonight. I saw a text from Tyler's phone.”

 

“Are you sure it's even Archie?”

 

“Weren't you more invested into finding out what's wrong with her?”

 

Lacey looked over her shoulder, worried that she had woken up Danny, hoping that he hadn't heard a single word that she and _Nancy Drew_ had exchanged. Her heart thudded against her chest anxiously, curious as to why Phoebe had been acting so strange.

 

“Do you think it's worth checking out?” Lacey whispered.

  
“Just be ready when I get there. I'm walking as fast as I can.”

 

Lacey hung up, hurrying out of the guest room and to the bedroom. She gasped, seeing Danny standing nearby the room, completely naked. A faint blush crossed Lacey's cheeks as she spotted him. Danny smirked and tilted his head to the side.

 

“Going somewhere?”

 

“Uh, yeah. Jo and I were just going into town tonight for a bit.”

 

“But I thought I heard ten pm.” Danny looked obviously skeptical to the story his wife was pulling, but Lacey couldn't dismiss herself from what she wanted to figure out. She remembered the consequences of not telling Danny what was going on with her, but she had promised herself that after today, she wouldn't lie to him anymore, as if lying to him in the first place was acceptable, at all.

 

“I told her I wanted to paint the room yellow. We were going to Benjamin Moore to pick up some yellows. Like canary yellow, butter, I'm thinking a macaroni type but that's too dark.” Lacey shrugged, walking past him and going to get dressed.

 

“You're going to Benjamin Moore at ten o'clock? I'm _sure_ they're open tomorrow, babe. Please, I don't want to risk you getting hurt out there without me by your side.” He walked behind her, holding her close to him, embracing her. His hug melted her heart, as his hand traveled down to her pelvis, rubbing gently. She could tell he was definitely protective of both her and the baby. A part of her cursed herself out silently, asking why she didn't let Danny take her.

 

She pursed her lips together, forcing herself to keep her secrets to herself, but she couldn't.

 

“Phoebe was there when Regina died. She saw Archie and he saw her, and now I'm certain she's going to try and do something to Archie.”

 

Danny stared at her, an odd smirk appearing on his face. He looked away and back at his wife.

 

“Why do you even care about Archie?”

 

“Just because he's my ex-boyfriend and a jerk when he's drunk doesn't mean that anything bad deserves to happen to him.”

 

Danny sighed and shrugged a shoulder, a more important question rising his suspicions now that he thought about it.

“Were you going to ollow Phoebe tonight and not tell me?”

  
Lacey looked away and continued to get dress.

 

“Jo's coming over any minute. I have to get ready.”

 

“You're not leaving this house unless I'm with you, protecting you, Lacey. I can't risk anything.”

 

“Fine, then you'll just have to come with us,” Lacey insisted as she walked to Danny's closet. She pulled out a shirt and his leather jacket, tossing it on the bed and patting his arm. “Dress warm.”

 

–

 

The bag of chips behind her quickly interested her hunger as they waited. Lacey turned around, seeing Jo munch on a large bag of Lays potato chip. Once Jo realized that Lacey had wanted some, simply by the look she gave her, she handed her friend the whole bag without regret.

 

“Do you guys remember the last time we were all in a car together? You two were-” Danny started, before receiving that all too familiar glare from his wife, implying that he not bring up the old memories and instead bring up the good. Lacey liked her friendship with Jo, even though she knew it weren't the same. It was a friendship, and that was good enough. “Right, got it.”

 

Lacey looked out the window from behind the trees in front of the apartment complex. Phoebe lived alone with her fair share of male visitors every now and then. Hell, it was a bachelorette pad. No need to toss the name away.

 

“It doesn't take her long to get dressed for any date.” Lacey teased as she glanced at the clock.

 

“Well she's definitely late.” Jo checked her phone, ignoring another call from Tyler as she glanced at Danny in the driver's seat. She watched at how he looked at Lacey. It wasn't obvious that Lacey was the most important person to him. And even when the seat arrangements between the two were reversed eight years ago on their drive to Connecticut, she could still remember seeing Danny steal subtle glances at Lacey. It was too obvious now, but too complicated for her back then. She couldn't help but envy how perfect they were for each other. Even while they argued, they were perfect, but she was happy for them, nonetheless, and even for the baby, for having two parents as great as they'd both be.

 

“Wait, there she is.” Lacey sat up straight, seeing Phoebe walking from the building in a dark hoodie and combat boots.

 

“Well, I've never really been into fashion, but if that's what Phoebe wears to a date, I'd guess she's going with a lumberjack.” Danny said softly as he waited for her to get in the car, before trailing down the road allowing a car to get in front of theirs so that Phoebe wouldn't catch on that a silver Mazda was following her for a while.

 

All three of them watched as Phoebe turned a corner, heading into a desolate alley. Danny parked around the corner. Lacey and Jo undid their seatbelts, ready to follow her, though Danny placed his hand on Lacey's shoulder.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“We're going to go follow her, what else are we supposed to do?”

 

“Let me go with you. Jo, stay in the car and call us if anything.”

 

Lacey and Danny exited the car, leaving Jo to climb into the front seat, locking the doors. Lacey linked her arm with Danny's, hurrying over to the alley, which was dark, except for a flickering street light and the backdoor to a warehouse opened ajar.

 

The couple crept into the alleyway, Danny standing right in front of Lacey, while she stood, trembling behind him.

 

She could hear Archie's defiant tone arguing back with someone, though no one responded to his questions. There was a sound of a tussle, the screaming of a female.

 

“Let's go.” Lacey whispered as she stepped from behind Danny to the side, ready to run and drag him along with him. But Danny didn't move. He was frozen.

 

“Okay.” Danny insisted. However, the sound of gasping and coughing was heard from inside, along with hyperventilation. Danny grew pale, remembering that same sound from when he was eleven. He could remember how bad Aunt Tara coughed and gasped for air, the jump rope around her neck, but not in his hands. On impulse, Danny stepped towards the door, willing to go in and stop the actions, just like he wanted. No one deserved that. Absolutely no one. The vivid memory of his aunt laying there, the red mark around her neck, disturbed him and sent chills up his spine.

 

“Danny.” Lacey whispered. She went to grab his right arm, trying to pull him from the doors and instead back to the car to leave and watch from there. That would have been the better choice. She watched as a shadow gradually grew closer to the door. Phoebe, in the black hoodie and boots, darted out of the warehouse, pushing Danny aside. Lacey stumbled backwards, falling against the dumpster behind them as Phoebe raced away from the warehouse. Danny turned around, seeing his wife on the floor in pure shock. He hadn't known what he had done, but he recalled his elbow nudging into something once Phoebe shoved him out of her way.

Her stomach, so much in pain, shook her with fear for her unborn child. Her abdomen ached from the power of Danny's elbow, unintentionally jabbing her in her most important part of her body at the moment. She stared into Danny's eyes, tears forming in hers, along with grief. Danny's eyes widened as he rushed to his wife, kneeling by her side as he tried helping her trembling body to her feet to get into the car. Yet Lacey, overcome with panic, began sobbing uncontrollably, holding her stomach as she tried her best to make it to the car, emotionally in one piece.

"I have to go to the hospital." Her voice shook, drowning in the thought of this situation's worse case scenario.


	10. Chapter 10

The smell of ammonia and latex gloves filled the lungs of a worried young man. The look on his face could tell a story, and the only time he moved was if someone, mostly nurses, had come out of the room of his pregnant wife. He would ask, repeatedly, “How is she?”, to which they responded, hesitantly, at best, “The doctor will be out with you any moment.”

 

Being brushed off, to him, wasn't good enough. He needed to hear her, see her, and even just place his hand on her stomach, as a guard to his lovely child. And despite being a guard, he was also the one to blame. How could it be that he let Lacey out of the car and not Jo? Why didn't he protect her more carefully? Each time his hands combed his hair, anxiously, he tugged gently, annoyed at how many bad occurrences had gone wrong in only about a month of their marriage. And right now, if things had gone wrong, he couldn't bear canceling the exciting news of the baby for Thanksgiving. He just couldn't. The girl sitting beside him, with blonde and frizzy hair, simply patted his back every now and then. But instead of allowing her to console him, he shrugged her hand away. He had hoped, nearly prayed, that eight months later, he'd be in a different part of the hospital, waiting anxiously for his mother-in-law to come out and praise, “It's a boy!” or “It's a girl!” to him, while a proud smile grew on his face.

 

Tyler had come, too, to wait with Jo once she had told him that Lacey was in the hospital. He questioned why, and how this happened, but neither of them explained the full accounts of the story, unable to confess that they were following his sister, who pushed Danny out of the way, causing his elbow to swing on Lacey, potentially damaging the life of their gift.

 

“What have I done?” Danny whispered to himself, panicking. The silence between them was so quiet, that the ticking of Danny's watch nearly disturbed him and his thoughts. 

 

Tyler stood up, sighing as he turned to his fiance. He extended his hand, looking down at the girl who repeatedly checked the time every few minutes. They had been there already for twenty, but it felt like hours had passed them by. Jo looked up at him, a shrug of her shoulders wondering what he wanted. She still hadn't confessed that she didn't want to marry him, and Rico hadn't been in her life for about a week. Even though Rico wasn't speaking to her out of frustration of not calling it off with Tyler, she knew that she had to make a decision of which guy she'd have to hurt in order to be completely happy.

 

“What?”

 

“Take a walk with me? I have to stretch my legs.”

 

“I'm fine here.” Jo protested as she turned back to her phone.

 

The doorknob turned to Lacey's room, as both Danny and Jo rose in unison, anxiously looking at the doctors. Tyler crept next to Jo, placing his hand on her shoulder, attempting to pull Jo away from Danny's personal space, and give him room to breathe once the news, whether tragic or not, would sprout for the doctor's mouth.

 

“How's Lacey?” Danny asked, walking towards the doctor. He was a man of middle age with round spectacles similar to the ones Harry Potter wore, perched on his nose. A tag, stating his name, T. Campbell, MD. was on his white jacket.

 

“She's fine, just fine.” He promised as he held up his hands.

 

“And the baby? Did she miscarry?” Danny asked, not wanting to take his eyes away from the doctor's. He glanced from Danny to the couple standing beside him.

 

“Do you know what happened to Lacey? Was she home? Was she outside when this happened? Was this _truly_ an accident?” Jo couldn't help but notice had much emphasis was forced on the word, truly, as if what Lacey had told him was a lie, which it probably was. But knowing that everyone was well aware of Danny's return to Green Grove, everyone was once again on edge and questioned each action her did, whether it be throwing out trash or cleaning his car, everyone just looked at Danny like he were strange.

 

“She was with us, outside.” Jo admitted from behind Danny.

 

“What happened to the baby?” Danny's voice rose as his heart began beating in his chest, thudding harder. He felt lightheaded, like this were all a dream. He wanted to be with her, he needed to see her.

 

“Mr. Desai, we're trying to find out whether we can press charges or not on the person who did to her, first.”

 

Danny turned away from the doctor, frustrated with his ability to change the topic. He started to walk down the hall and away from Dr. Campbell, Jo, and Tyler. What did this mean? Was he trying to tell him, in a subtle way, that Lacey had miscarried because of his failed protection instinct? Was this his own fault for not protecting his wife like he promised? Nausea settled in his stomach at that moment, guilt mixed with rage and depression rising and bubbling in the pit of his stomach. He stood toe-to-toe with him, ready to break down if he hadn't gotten the answer he wanted to hear. He turned around, standing before Dr. Campbell, his eyes tearing.

 

“I need you to tell me whether or not Lacey is still carrying our child.” His voice, low and intimidating, chilled Dr. Campbell.

 

“You can see her now. But non family members will have to wait outside.” Dr. Campbell spoke. Danny hurried inside, pushing past doors and seeing his wife sitting on the edge of the hospital bed. She looked a little shaken up, though her face lit up when she saw Danny.

 

“Hey.” She greeted softly. Danny hurried over, kissing her. He sat beside her and looked her in the eye.

 

“Are you okay? Do you feel okay? The baby is okay, right?”

 

“The baby is fine, Danny.” It made her happy to see how antsy he got when it came to the protection of both her and their child.

 

“I”m sorry, I'm so sorry.” He repeated over as he held her. She patted his back awkwardly, trying to push away from him.

 

“You have to stop apologizing.”

 

“But I'm the reason why you're here.”

 

“Yeah, and the doctors think so, too. They think you abused me, or something like that.” Lacey mumbled. 

 

“What? Is that why-” Danny cut himself off, not wanting Lacey to worry when it came to him.

 

“Why what?”

 

He sighed and shook his head, holding her hands in his.

 

“They acted like they didn't want me to see you or know about the baby. I was so upset, Lace. I was worried. I'm sorry.” He whispered.

 

“It's fine. They said I'm discharged, so let's just go home, yeah?” Lacey said, standing up.

 

“Do you need me to help you to the car?”

 

“Thank you, sweetie, I'm fine.” She grinned, lacing her fingers with hers.

 

Driving alone, at night, was particularly awkward for the both of them. Danny kept glancing at Lacey every minute, it seemed, just to make sure she was okay. She didn't mind, but she couldn't focus on the ideal problem that had just occurred. Why had Phoebe turned from a sort of sweet person to the murderous type? What made her truly snap?

 

“You think she'll turn herself in?” Lacey looked in the mirror, seeing Tyler's jeep behind them while they drove. They turned off, heading down their street to get to their apartment, giving two honks as a “goodbye”.

 

“Who, Phoebe? I don't know. That's the least of my worries.” Danny shrugged, stopping at the stoplight. He watched as a few cars passed them by, turning to his wife who was obviously too much into thought. She closed her eyes, tired from being elbowed in the stomach and listening to muffled noises, and Phoebe's scream.

 

“You think that was Archie back there?”

 

Danny thought for a moment, only recalling the coughing of someone getting strangled. It brought back memories, memories he wished he could forget, but couldn't. They haunted him, and they always had, and as he feared, they always would. The psychological damage of hearing negative things that remind you of a shameful past was tough to bear or even grasp hold of. He stepped on the breaks once the light changed to green, pulling into their driveway. He sighed and looked at his wife who stared curiously at her, a slight shrug proving what he was thinking.

 

“Uh, do you think we can change the subject?”

 

Lacey noticed the pained look in Danny's eyes as he stared back at her. She felt uncomfortable for bringing it up and reminding him of what he had experienced.

 

“No problem.”

 

“Good, because what matters most to me at this moment is the fact that you are okay and that the baby is safe.” He spoke, placing his hand on her pelvis. She smiled, getting out of the car and looking over her shoulder, just watching her back to make sure that no one was watching them.

 

–

 

That chair, placed inside the unfinished room, had been her haven these past few days. It was nearing the evening, and the sun had gone down, a beautiful orange hue coming over the room, like fire, giving a glow unlike any other. Lacey smirked, looking over at the exceptionally well drawings on the yellow wall of the nursery. Danny was downstairs cooking, and Lacey? Well, she had painted the palm of her hand pink, and met the wall with her hand, wanting Danny to add in his with blue paint right beside hers, and eventually as the baby grew, they'd do the same with his or her favorite color. However, she had grown tired, and weak as days had passed her by. Every moment, she replayed the memory of Phoebe darting from the warehouse, pushing Danny aside, causing his elbow to collide with her midsection. The thought nauseated her to ever think that she would have lost the baby, though she thought of the good fortune that had come to the family, with keeping their bundle of joy perfectly fine.

 

Stress wasn't what Lacey needed. She feared that too much on her plate would be enough to set her off in the most negative way, especially for their baby, as well. And while stress had been the one thing she had tried desperately to avoid, she watched as a Green Grove police car entered next to their car in the driveway. She stood up, hurrying to the top of the stairs.

 

“Danny!” She spoke. She could hear him drop the metal spoon in the pot he was cooking in and rush to the foot of the stairs, panic written all over his face.

 

“What's wrong?”

 

Danny's head turned, glancing back at Lacey once he heard the sound of a knock on the front door. She watched as he went to go get it.

 

“Chief Masterson, how are you?” Danny asked. Lacey jogged down the stairs, poking her head out from behind the wall. She watched Chief Masterson's focus turned from Danny to her.

 

“Mind if I come in? I have to ask a question.” He spoke. Danny moved to the side, allowing him to come inside. Lacey stood next to Danny, holding his hand as Chief Masterson glanced down at their fingers laced. He gave a slightly annoyed look at Lacey, as if to say, “Why him of all the guys in Green Grove? Of all the guys in the world? Why would you even marry him?”

 

“What can we do for you?” Lacey asked, tucking her hair behind her ear.

 

“I'm sorry to disturb your dinner. Smells like pasta, huh Danny,” Chief Masterson teased as he looked down at Danny, jokingly wearing Lacey's light pink apron with flowers. When he realized that the couple was strictly business, he cut to the chase. “I would've come earlier, and I was on my way here, but at the last minute our missing person case turned into a murder investigation.”

 

Lacey could feel every muscle in her body tense at his revelation. She glanced at Danny, who kept his cool, gently squeezing his wife's hand to instruct her in doing the same. Lacey turned back to face Chief Masteron, who seemed suspicious of Lacey's look of distress.

 

“A murder investigation? What a shame. Did you come to warn Lacey of my murderous tendencies?” Danny asked. This time, he was the one to joke, though Chief Masterson found nothing worthy of jokes in the topic.

 

“You haven't heard on the television anything about the murder of Archie Yates?”

 

“Nope, not a thing. I guess Lacey and I are still honeymooning and _prepping_.” He joked, pulling her closer to him. His arm rested on her shoulders, as he made a subtle motion towards Lacey's midsection. Chief Masteron looked over both of them, piecing together everything.

 

“Well, I've come to ask for your statement, Danny.”

 

“My statement? On what?”

 

“We'll have to talk about that at the station.”

 

“I'm not going back to the station.”

 

“If you have nothing to hide, it shouldn't be much of a problem, right?”

 

“I have nothing to hide, but the fact that I've been falsely accused for a murder I didn't commit as well as a poisoning of a _friend,_ especially in high school, I would've expected a tad bit more normalcy when returning with my family, Chief.”

 

Chief Masterson sighed and looked him over.

 

“I read your book, Desai. I like how I'm pinned as the “ _space invading, narrow minded,_ cop” with little to do but accuse you.”

 

“It's an autobiography for a reason, Sir.” Danny snapped. Lacey faced her husband, tugging him off to the side.

 

“Please, just go with him. I'll handle dinner. It'll be fine.”

 

Danny looked into her eyes and back at Chief Masterson, who felt relieved that his wife was trying to talk him down from a much needed outburst. Danny's chest rose and fell, kissing his wife on the forehead, exchanging the apron for his jacket. He began walking towards the door with Chief Masterson in front of him.

 

“I'll be back soon. I love you.” He called outside as he got in the passenger seat of the police car. She watched as they pulled out of the driveway and down the road.

 

Danny could remember the last time he was in a police car. He was in the backseat, of course, and his hands were cuffed. Though he were eleven, they took a threat to him. If a kid had no respect towards authority, he had no respect towards anyone, and that's what made him intimidating to most. He and Chief Masterson did not exchange eye contact at all, though he could remember his mother in complete shock at the thought of her son going away to a juvenile detention center, also known as his hell.

 

The ride to the station made him remember the countless times he wrote to both Jo and Lacey, getting shunned by his best friend, and soon enough, shunned by his first crush. He still remembered the last letter Lacey had sent to him, just months before he got out of juvy. He anticipated seeing her, and wanting to assure her that he still thought of her every night as his first kiss, wanting her to remember, needing her to think of it, yet all hope had died down when he was faced with Archie, her boyfriend, who was now dead, and possibly murdered by Phoebe.

 

Once inside, the other officers grew quiet, taking in how well groomed Danny looked. They had all placed bets that he wouldn't get into college with his record, let alone a job. However, the way he worked with and dealt with his pain made viewers grasp this concept that he was the victim, getting defeated everyday by a simple town, pointing their fingers at the most obvious suspect.

 

Danny sat before him, leaning back in the chair, glancing at his watch.

 

“Maybe we could speed this up a bit? I have to make sure Lacey's okay.”

 

Chief Masterson examined him, thanking silently that Danny Desai wasn't his son-in-law, and that, instead, Judy and Samuel had to deal with him.

 

“So, an anonymous person granted us a tip, saying they saw you near Archie's job at Fairfax Meat Co. a couple of days ago. Were you?”

 

“Depends, is there evidence?” Danny grinned, knowing how he'd annoy him.

 

“I'm not laughing, Danny. Another group of parents want to see your head on a stick. Either we can do this quick, and get you home to Lacey, or we can put you behind bars for another five years. Take your pick.”

 

“Throwing me in jail for a murder I didn't commit? I'd love to get my hands on that. You can actually help boost my career, so just try me,” Danny smirked. He watched as Chief Masterson stared at him. He barely cracked a smile, and when he did, it was all too phony for anyone to believe. Danny sighed, giving up. “Yes, I was there.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I saw someone who looked mysterious so I wanted to go check it out.”

 

“You should've called us.”

 

Danny looked off to the side. Although those were some things he should have thought of instead of playing Sherlock Holmes with Lacey and Jo, he knew he was right, and how disappointed he was the last time all three of them hid something from the police.

 

“I should have, but I wanted to be as good of a cop as you are.” Danny spat back sarcastically as he ran his fingers through his hair.

 

“This same person claimed that you and Archie had an exchange of some harsh words at Tyler Daly's costume party. Is that correct?”

 

“The guy was drunk, and he was trying to flirt with Lacey,” Danny shook his head in disbelief. “Why would I kill Archie after so long? Why would I kill him at all?”

 

“You just said it, he was flirting with your pregnant wife.”

 

“I didn't even know she was pregnant at the time.”  
  
“But she's still your wife.”

 

“Yeah, and I'd love to wake up to her everyday, because I know I didn't kill Archie. I don't know what else to tell you.”

 

Silence fell between the two men, and Chief Masterson stood up.

  
“You're free to go, Desai.” He spoke. He watched as Danny hurried out of his office before turning around.

 

“You think I can get a ride home?”

 

Chief Masterson glared for a few seconds before shaking his head.

 

“Have a nice walk!” He called, turning around and away from his desk.

 

–

Lacey watched as the doorknob turned, Danny appearing in the doorway. She stood up from her seat at the table, having already eaten two full plates of pasta.

 

“Hey, how'd it go?”

 

Danny hung up his jacket, kicking off his boots as he headed for the stairs. Lacey watched from downstairs. He turned around, looking at his wife, sadness in his eyes.

 

“You would think that after thirteen years of the Aunt Tara situation, everyone would be neutral to me coming back. I'm an adult now, and I have a family, yet everyone sees me as this adult version of a monster. It's annoying.” He called from the top of the stairs. She sighed, heading up behind him, leaving the dishes for the morning.

 

“They just need to warm up to you coming back. I mean, we're kind of stuck here for another eight months, babe.”

 

“Sadly.” Danny. He removed his clothes, settling into the bed while Lacey sat on the edge. He closed his eyes, though the lights were still on, and laid his head back on the pillows.

 

“Do you think it's Phoebe?”

 

“It's gotta be, unless Jo's ratting me out.” He chuckled.

 

Lacey looked down and smirked at the idea of Jo, their friend, actually going to that level in splitting them apart, by wrongly accusing Danny. Lacey undressed herself, as well, shutting off all the lights and getting into bed, too.

 

“It'll be fine.” Lacey assured as she stroked his hair, watching him drift off to sleep.

 

–

 

She flushed the toilet, pulling the cover down and resting on top of it as she brushed hair out of her face. Definitely the worse part of pregnancy. She washed her hands and rinsed out her mouth before leaving the bathroom, attempting to return to her bedroom. Instead, she heard someone at the door downstairs. She raised an eyebrow, heading downstairs, looking the peephole at Phoebe.

 

Lacey glanced at the stairs, hoping Danny didn't hear the flush, nor the knock at the door. She opened it slowly, watching her in the doorway.

 

“Is this a bad time?”

 

“I have no words for you. Now leave or else I'll get Danny.” She felt good knowing that Danny always wanted to protect her, and that by his call he'd be ready in a heartbeat.

 

“Please, I just want to say sorry.”

 

“For what? Murdering my ex? and almost killing my unborn baby?”

 

She stood quietly and stepped towards her.

 

“Can I come in?”

 

“Leave. Now.” Lacey began closing the door but Phoebe pushed back.

 

“Please, remember our sleepovers, and girl talk? I was your bridesmaid at your wedding and your best friend in high school.”

 

“Yeah, before I knew you killed people from feeling threatened.”

 

“Can you just let me inside?”

 

“I have to go. It's late, I'm tired, and nauseous. Goodbye.”

 Phoebe hesitated for a moment, searching for a sensitive spot for Lacey to actually take time and reconsider even turning her in to the police.

“Remember when Danny went to private school? And even though the whole school was against you, I stayed there for you?”

 

“After I found out everything you knew about Regina, Phoebe.”

 

“I was the first one to take you back as my friend no matter what people said about you. Remember those times? Remember when we were friends,” Lacey examined the girls eyes, seeing them water. Again, she couldn't tell if this were a complete act or true sincerity of Phoebe to plead for her forgiveness. “Please, as your friend.”

 

Lacey stared at her, silently reminiscing on the times they had shared together in high school after their privacy was invaded by Doug, Regina's creepy Nerd pet.

 

_The fact that no one held doors for her, or respected her, or even acknowledged her presence without a recap of what happened days before wasn't a big surprise to Lacey. Jo ignored her, especially in school, gaining popularity from being smart, pretty, and the girlfriend of Tyler Daly. Their roles were completely reversed, and finally, Lacey knew how Jo must have felt when this happened in middle school. But, even though it felt awful to be this person no one wanted to hang out with, Lacey wasn't all that sorry. She couldn't take it back now, though she did apologize for hurting Jo in the past._

 

_The bathroom doors slammed towards Lacey as the girls dropped it, unwilling to notice the redness from her bottom eyelid. She was crying, all day, everyday. She had no one, and no one wanted her. It's like she was this poisonous gas that everyone avoided to stay safe and maintain living, although living in this case is surviving high school. She had walked past Sarita's locker, as Phoebe leaned against it, gossiping with her. She remembered when she and Sarita were close with Regina like that. They always wanted to hear her out, always wanted input on what captivated Regina's mind._

 

_She watched as Phoebe glanced at her, quickly whispering to Sarita, before she turned around, looking Lacey up and down before slamming her locker closed. Sarita had taken Lacey's betrayal worse than anyone, even if she told Lacey she'd always be her friend. Not surprised to see how far friendship goes when it comes down to a matter of social standards._

 

_Yet, when Lacey held her bag closer to her, as if it were her shield from all the taunts, she quickened her steps, trying to hurry to her last period class as fast as she could before anyone disturbed her again for the fourth consecutive time today. But, she stopped in her tracks, hearing someone address her from behind her._

 

“ _Lacey.”_

 

_She recognized the voice and turned around, seeing Phoebe standing there. The bell had rung, and the hallways cleared, sending students into their classroom, despite wanting Phoebe to say some type of witty remark to further embarrass Lacey and taunt her new found reputation as, without much creation, Stockholm, based on Stockholm syndrome. She watched as Phoebe motioned with a movement of her head to the bathroom, again._

 

_Lacey followed behind her, careless of the troubles she would get in for being late to class._

 

“ _Yes?” Lacey asked, almost shyly, as she stared into Phoebe's eyes. She seemed unsure, but concerned. And with no words exchanged, she pulled her into a tight hug. Lacey could feel her lips tremble into a frown as she allowed tears to fall on Phoebe's cable knit sweater._

 

“ _I don't want to see you upset or sad. I'm here for you now.” She said softly, while still holding Lacey in her arms._

 

Lacey blinked and looked at Phoebe, the same girl who had helped her with her struggles, now struggling to maintain emotional stability with the fear of being in prison. What Jo and Danny saw was a girl with emotional issues, but what Lacey saw was a friend in need, a friend who once scratched her best friend, a friend who murdered her ex boyfriend, and a friend who tried to blame anyone but herself, including Danny.

 

“I'll give you three thousand dollars to help furnish your nursery. Just please, I'm begging you, Lacey.”

 

Lacey's heart ached. She knew there had to be justice for Danny, but even more so for Archie's family in locking away their sons murderer. Each breath she took ached her sides as she uneasily came to a conclusion.

 

“I don't need your money, Phoebe,” She stated, shaking her head. Phoebe looked over her shoulder and back at Lacey, desperate. “I'll see what I can do.”

 

Lacey murmured as she slowly began closing the door, locking it up. Phoebe's footsteps as she left the front porch could be heard from behind the front door as Lacey sat down in front of it, confused and unsure what to think of Phoebe's appearance during the middle of the night. Lacey's stomach churned, forming a knot of guilt and frustration. She pulled herself up to her feet, balancing herself in the dark, as she dragged herself up the stairs, planning to keep Phoebe's late night visit just between the two of them.


	11. Chapter 11

It seemed all she could do was walk. Her legs moved obliviously, pacing the room, as she remembered what the doctors had told her the day before. The latest ultrasound photo was tucked secretly underneath her bed, keeping it from any intruders, like Danny, from seeing the update on her pregnancy. Lacey, excited to keep the news a secret from him, lied, stating that they had run out of paper at the moment. How absurd. Yet Danny never questioned it. Ironically, he had excused himself from the ultrasound to use the restroom right at the most important part-the surprise that Lacey had come to. Her lips revealed her even row of teeth, a sure sign that she was on cloud nine with the news that she would share at dinner time.

 

Breeze from the ajar window kissed her skin, embracing her warmth and clashing with it as her skin chilled with goosebumps. Lacey stood in the center of the bedroom, peering over to the window, seeing two cars pulls up into their driveway, as a blonde woman walked to the door. A mirror placed on the back of their bedroom door revealed to her the most anxious person in the world. Her skin, tinted with that natural motherly glow, showed a certain radiance that Lacey hadn't even shown before, and she hoped, and nearly prayed that they hadn't caught on to this certain spark in her eyes. She brought her hand to her stomach, rubbing on her beige dress where her pelvis was, in a circular motion. She bit her bottom lip, and listened as the door from downstairs opened, with their guests greeting Danny downstairs.

 

Lacey exited the bedroom, her eyes meeting her dad's. If only he knew, if only he knew. A faint blush crossed her face while she made her way downstairs. There, near the front of the door, Danny retrieved coats, placing them in the closet. Judy spotted her daughter, rushing past anyone else to embrace her daughter.

 

“Hello, sweetheart. My, I love what you've done with the place.” She commended as she kissed her cheek. Next was Lacey's father, who almost pulled her into what seemed like too much of a hug.

 

“I've missed you.” He spoke, whispering softly. She couldn't help but imagine how new this was to their family. He had come back to Green Grove four times this year- Thanksgiving, Clara's birthday, Lacey's birthday, and hopefully for the birth of their child. However, the secret was kept from everyone, including Karen, who held an apple pie in her hands, throwing one arm around Lacey and rushing to the kitchen with Judy to explore the house on their own.

 

Lacey fiddled with her fingers, seeing Clara standing hand-in-hand with a boy; a boy who looked all too awkward, being that they were only dating for less than a month.

 

“Hey sis.” Clara quickly hugged before introducing her to Ben, a handsome Senior at her college.

 

Danny strolled over to Lacey, taking his hand in hers while he stopped himself from rubbing her belly to give away the surprise. He kissed her cheek, as they walked to the dining room. Before the arrival of their relatives, they had set the table, placing the food beautifully in the center for everyone to take what they wanted and serve themselves.

 

The image of everyone eating, laughing, and talking excited her on the inside to realize that there would be more seats for her and Danny's future kids, soon. Karen wiped her mouth with her handkerchief, placing it in her lap, smiling. It felt nice to be included. She never complained once that Lacey had stolen her son away from her. She was glad to see Danny finally happy, especially since the passing of Vikram. Though it was years ago since he died, Lacey still detected sadness in her eyes, even with her beautiful smile. She probably missed Danny and felt better knowing that he was back in town, rather than an hour away.

 

“So, what's the reason for us gathering here?” Samuel spoke up. He leaned forward on the table and studied the couple, while Clara smirked mischiviously. She always knew how Lacey was under pressure. She tried her best to hide her true feelings but it never worked. That was one thing Clara mastered and Lacey didn't.

 

“What? They can't organize a Thanksgiving dinner in their beautiful new home? It was probably just a house warming, as well.” Judy protested, glancing at her ex-husband. He sighed heavily and turned his attention to Lacey, wanting an answer to his question. She wondered if she knew and if Clara spilled a hint. Even she didn't know, although Lacey felt like this was the most intimidating question, like when they tried to debate over the color scheme for the wedding. They'd have this debate all the time until they had children, asking, “You should name the kid after my great nephew” or “You should name the kid Cloud Nine because he was a gift from heaven.”

 

Okay, maybe she exaggerated a little bit, but she could imagine her family telling them what to do as far as names when it came to  _their_ family.

 

“Oh, please let it be anything but moving.” Karen said as she rested her fork against her plate. She gave a look like she gave up on everyone at the table, even though no words had spilled from the couples mouths yet.

 

“So what is it?” Clara pried.

 

Lacey stood up from the table, leaving everyone but Danny curious as to what she was doing. Danny began standing up too, but in confusion. This wasn't how they planned it. But that was the point.

 

“Please excuse me.” Lacey pleaded as she hurried to the stairs. The carpet from the stairs met her bare feet, as she jogged up to their bedroom. She stood in front of the bed, getting on her hands and knees, slipping the ultrasound photo from underneath the bed and holding it close to her chest. She studied it one last time, excitement overwhelming her. Times like these she was thankful for everything she had in her life, especially the new occurrences of starting a family. An unexpected surprise, was beauty in her eyes.

 

She quickly held the picture behind her back, jogging back down the stairs and into the dining room. She stood beside Danny, who smirked at her impromptu idea. He studied the picture, as his smirk soon disappeared. Lacey bent down a little, whispering into his ears.

 

“What? What's going on?” Judy asked frantically as she stared at Danny. He brought his hand to his hair, ruffling it as he thought, taking in what she was. Danny had figured that she was keeping the baby's sex a surprise from her, yet when it hit him that it was too early to distinguish, he finally caught on.

 

Lacey looked around the table, the whole family staring at both of them.

 

“I'm pregnant.” She confessed. Lacey's mother stood up quickly, rushing over to her daughter to embrace her as squeals of joy escaped her. Karen and Clara came over, each taking turns in hugging Lacey and rubbing her belly, though there wasn't much to rub. Samuel, who was still sitting, though clearly surprised, turned to Danny who was simply sitting there, with no emotion.

 

“I bet you're just as surprised as we are, huh?” He teased. Danny shook his head, his locks flowing in the direction of his head movement.

 

“I already knew Lacey was pregnant.” He spoke, standing up and walking towards her. Everyone cleared the way, seeing Danny approaching Lacey.

 

“Then what's wrong? Why are you shocked?” Karen wondered, visibly concerned with his strange behavior. Lacey, although she were concerned as well, could see the corners of his mouth curling into a slight smile. He turned the ultrasound photo around, revealing the image.

 

“Because  _I_ just found out what this picture is.”

 

“It's of the baby, Danny. Stop acting strange.” Karen frowned as she gently took the picture from his hands, as she shared it with Judy and Clara, passing it on to Samuel.

 

“The thing is, mother, my darling wife failed to inform me that she was eight weeks pregnant with identical  _twins.”_

 

Lacey laughed, hearing the sounds of the women screaming in the house, rejoicing over the news. Danny walked over to his wife, impressed by her willing to keep the ultrasound a secret from him in order to maintain the surprise. He used his index finger to lift up her chin, letting his lips meet hers for a quick kiss before turning to the family who passed the photo around. She put her arm around Danny's waist, resting her head on his shoulder as she watched her family. They were like busy bees, wanting to see the ultrasound that they've all seen about a thousand times already.

 

After dinner, which no one seemed to commend them on, simply just congratulations on the month long secret they've kept from them, their relatives began getting ready to leave. As they exited their home, Danny pulled his wife into a playful yet gentle hug, messing with her hair as she giggled, looking into his eyes. He held her face, planting kisses everywhere but her mouth.

 

“So, what's on your mind?”

 

“Despite the fact that I heard three women scream into my ear at the top of their lungs at how excited they were, I'd say I'm pretty damn glad that we have such a strong support system.”

 

She smirked and leaned forward, kissing his lips softly as she backed into a wall. He broke the kiss, walking to where Lacey had stopped, bringing his lips to meet her full ones. He placed his hand on the back of her neck, kissing it with light sucks here and there.

 

He held onto her waist as she jumped, holding onto her legs, suspending her against the wall while she, in turn, reached down to unzip his pants.

 

The couple froze, hearing a faint knock at the door not too far from them.

 

“Who's that?” Lacey whispered against his neck. Danny slowly let her down, walking to go open the door. Lacey stood by the wall, waiting for Danny to rush back inside to get something his mother or one of his in-laws had left behind.

 

Danny looked over his shoulder, seeing Phoebe standing there in a red dress, holding a large bowl of casserole.

 

“Hey Lace, am I late for dinner?”

 

Even though Lacey hadn't spoken to Phoebe in about a week, the thought of their conversation still fresh in her mind, yet slightly irrelevant once she found out she was carrying twins.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

“I wanted to come over for dinner.”

 

"You weren't invited, Phoebe.”

 

Phoebe stared for a moment, that look of 'I thought we had a deal' shooting from her eyes into Lacey's.

 

“I bought a casserole. I'm not sure if you'd like it or not but we can all try it together.”

 

Lacey glanced at Danny who peered at Phoebe, still holding the door open, clearly no intentions of being on friendly terms with her.

 

“You have to go. I'm tired, we're tired, and Danny and I would like some privacy. It's been a long day.”

 

Phoebe turned to Danny who was glaring at her. She felt uncomfortable, but she knew why she wasn't welcome.

 

“I thought you said you'd figure something out. I thought you were going to help me.”

 

“Phoebe, just leave. Now.” Lacey blurted. She watched as the girl gripped the casserole in her hands. She was sure she would toss it at her. With Phoebe, now, everything was possible.

 

“Okay, bye. I'll call you tomorrow.” She chimed before turning around, leaving the house. Danny slammed the door behind her, staring at his wife. He seemed shocked, like an upset parent staring at his rebellious teenager who got a nose piercing and her face tattooed without his consent.

 

“You've got to be kidding me.”

 

“She showed up in the middle of the night. It was late and I was tired. I just wanted her to leave so I told her that to get rid of her,” Lacey made her way over to her husband, holding him close to her as she tried to kiss him, though he didn't allow it. She felt bad, she really did. But she didn't want the good mood they were in to die down because of Phoebe. “Can we just focus on how happy we were about the baby...and the celebratory party of two?”

 

A pained expression crept on his face while his heart ached in his chest. He wasn't going to just let this brush off but to keep the peace, he attempted to smile, though it came out crooked and awkward, further revealing how upset he was over the fact that his wife, one of very few people he trusted with his life, was thinking against him.

“I don't think that I'd be able to hold my twins in my arms, knowing that I might get thrown in jail for a murder I didn't commit if one of us wants to save their friend's reputation.”

 

“If it were reverse, you'd understand what I'm conflicted with. It's not that easy. Phoebe's been there for me and so have you.”

 

Danny looked at his wife, almost solemn and ready to break.

 

“She was there for only two minutes," He reminded. He saw the guilt stricken look on Lacey's face, unable to take back the words, but wanting to make it better. "The only choice I'd make would be to save you from going to jail.”

 

“That's not the choice that's lawfully right. You'd pin it on someone else just so you won't let me suffer?”

 

“Yeah but that's my choice, and sometimes choices are wrong, but I make them to help the people I love.” Danny gently pulled away from her, heading upstairs. Lacey sighed, peeping out the window by the door, seeing Phoebe pulling out from the driveway. She walked back to the middle of the house, sitting at the bottom of the stairs. She knew what she had to do, and in this case, what was right, just like when she chose Danny over Phoebe. She closed her eyes for a moment, her stomach growling a little even though she had eaten dinner not too long ago. The sound of Phoebe's car taking off down the road reminded her of the night they had seen her and heard her strangle Archie. The sound was one she could hear repeating itself over and over in her brain when nothing else would distract her. Well, nothing but the memory that hurt the most when it came to Lacey's high school years.

  _It came as no surprise to Lacey that another day had gone by with dreadful name calling. Despite the fact that Phoebe claimed she was on her side, it definitely didn't show when she hung around Sarita, Archie, and Scott. They all stuck together, gossiping about the video. She regretted ever meeting him, though the amount of truth in her statement was, in fact, questionable. She hated him, despised him, but still couldn't keep away from him, or was it that he couldn't stay away from her? The fact that he had shown up by her car, the third time this week, did more harm than good. He claimed that everything would be over by next week. Little did they know that almost the whole entire school wouldn't get over it until Senior year, the big year._

_A few people watched as Lacey made their way over to Danny who leaned on the hood of her car, yet again standing there, this time in black slacks, a green sweater vest, a green tie, and a white dress shirt. Truthfully, he looked like he stepped out of the Slytherin house to go to school, which made Lacey smile, for the first time today. All her other fake smiles didn't count, and still, even when she belittled him in Johnny Cakes last week, here he was, back again at her car, leaving students to see what show they'd put on now, this week, since word had gotten around that Lacey badmouthed him._

_Lacey pretended to search for her car keys, not wanting to make eye contact with him for the simple fact that his hideous uniform would set her off the edge. She gave a small sigh, before seeing out of her peripheral vision, Danny standing up from sitting on her car to greet her._

_"I'm back," he taunted in a sing-song voice, looking at his ex-girlfriend. It was obvious that she had been crying, again, and that always upset him, since Lacey was barely the one to let anyone see her weak side. She never liked playing the victim. It simply wasn't her style. "Another rough day, I see?"_

_"Yeah well your plan can't work out so well if you always show up here, leaving people to talk." She brushed past him, opening her door and getting inside, cranking up the car. Danny, uninvited, got into the passenger seat, buckling himself in. She watched him in disbelief._

_The nerve of him!_

_Danny faced Lacey, smirking at the expression she was giving him. He raised a fist, very gently knocking the side of her jaw._

_"What? Do you expect me to walk around town like this? I swear, the only good thing about private school is that we get out a little earlier than everyone else."_

_Lacey couldn't help but crack a small smile as she began pulling out of her parking space to head out of the school. The drive between them was especially awkard,  more than any other day. But, instead of Danny sparking topics, it was Lacey who decided to give it a whirl._

_"So, you're forced to wear that everyday?"_

_"Sadly, yes. I personally don't think green does anything for my skin tone but my mom saves money on outfits since this is my life for another two years." Danny teased as he put his bag in the backseat._

_"You look like a dork." She teased, shaking her head._

_"Ah yes, but you appreciate my company to a certain extent. Back at square one, huh? I have to charm my way back into your life?"_

_Lacey's face went from actually enjoying the ride to serious with his remark. She didn't want to be his chauffeur everyday, and began thinking that he took their school being close by as an advantage to not be seen in the uniform. But still, it wasn't about the uniform. It wasn't even about the fact he went to private school. He wanted to see her. He needed to be by her side._

_"Meet any new friends?"_

_"Yeah, two. Surprisingly not many people know about me, or not many people care. I'm treated the same, except with less Archies in the hall. But, no one seems to have a problem, thus far," Danny looked out the window, mumbling to himself before continuing. "There's Patrick and Charlie."_

_"Bromance?" Lacey grinned as she glanced at him before turning back at the road. Danny chuckled and shook his head._

_"Nah, Charlie's a girl. It's short for Charlotte."_

_Lacey couldn't help but feel a tinge of slight jealousy enter her body. It lied right in the pit of her stomach, wanting to ask for more information, but was reluctant to show much emotion over the fact that females were taking him under their wing and making an effort to be his friend. I guess tall, smoldering, and handsome were their types. She simply stayed quiet, though Danny continued talking._

_"Patrick's smart. He reminds me of Rico, except taller and with glasses. Charlotte's on the basketball team. We have just about every class together."_

_Lacey glanced at Danny, shrugging a seemingly careless shoulder in his direction._

_"I didn't ask for a background check."_

_"Got it," he nodded, enjoying the ride home. Once Lacey pulled into the driveway, Danny faced her, taking off his seatbelt but not yet moving. "So, now that our conversations are secretive again, wanna come upstairs and hang out? I have blue-"_

_"Good bye, Danny." Lacey smiled. Danny smirked, adoring that smile of hers. If only his lips could meet hers or the dimples in her cheeks, that's when life could be perfect._

_"Thanks, Lace." He grinned, grabbing his bag from the back and leaving the car._

_The drive back to her own home was unlike any other, to her. She had no radio blasting, even to take her mind off of school, there wasn't any shakes to drink from and wallow in the divine taste of strawberries and bananas clashed together. Instead, there was only the freshest memory of Danny from moments ago, talking about his new friends. New friends that could replace her spot. But why would she care? It's not like she was still into him, though. It's not like the reason all of this happend was because she had feelings for him. No way. Lacey was still mad at him for not telling the whole truth, but that didn't mean her feelings were gone. She rolled her eyes at the thought, disgusted in ever wanting to think that Danny and her could have something serious, although the fear of Danny showing up at her car tomorrow wanted her to prep for having a decent outfit when she saw him, and maybe a new hairstyle._

Lacey succumbed to the guilt that fell upon her, realizing that Danny had done so much to make her happy, and to protect her, even if it backfired. She appreciated him, and loved him, and to even consider the fact that someone you loved wanted to save the one person who was trying to make you look guilty most definitely hurt. She turned around, darting up the stairs and to the room, seeing Danny half bare in the middle of the bedroom, changing out of the clothes he wore. She crept behind him, rushing and hugging him, her face pressed against his back. His hands met hers in the front. 

“I'm sorry,” She mumbled. Danny broke free of her hold, turning around, admiring his wife's beauty as well as what was on her mind. Lacey looked back at him, sensing slight confusion but hope in those eyes that she had fallen in love with. “I love you, and I'll do anything to keep our family together.” 

Lacey knew what needed to be done, as soon as possible. She wouldn't let this get out of hand so that Phoebe would get the opportunity to be steps ahead of them. But, even with Danny before her, she knew that the right decision lied in the memories she had of them as teenagers, when their relationship was so confusing, but worth it in the longrun.

_The one thing Lacey had managed to master was her mother's signature, forging her name to simply get out of class early. She had her reasons, this, of course, being important. She walked out of the school after revealing the note to the attendance office, walking through the parking lot to her car. It felt strange being in a crowded parking lot all by herself. Like she had just left her hiding space in a desolate, zombie apocalypse ridden town. She checked her phone. 2:30._

_She was a little late but she didn't care. She cranked up the car, pulling out of the school and heading a little further out of town to get to Green Grove Prep, the private school Danny attended. She pulled into the parking lot, seeing students eyeing the strange and unfamiliar car as it pulled up to the front of the school. Lacey saw Danny in the back, as a tall young man left them, holding one strap of his bag, meeting up with a red head around the corner. She assumed he was Patrick, and the girl she saw Danny with was Lacey. She hesitated, wondering whether or not she should approach them, or just simply text and see if he responds._

_Lacey sucked up her pride, walking towards them, a smile on her face as she stepped up to Danny who seemed surprised to see her there. She watched as he brought his hand to his tie, loosening it, while the girl, short but very beautiful, wondered who she was._

  
  


_“ _What are you doing here? I thought you were in school.” He wondered as he stood by Charlie.__

_  
Lacey shrugged a shoulder, glancing occasionally from him to the girl, wondering what he could be thinking._

  
  


_“ _I forged my mom's signature. Told the dean that I had a dentist appointment around this time,” The fact that the girl's eyes bore into hers made her uncomfortable to the point that even a quick glance at her would be too awkward. “I came to pick you up.”__

  
  


_Charlie immediately turned to Danny, who seemed pressured. He hated to turn Lacey down, but he did make plans prior to her visit, wanting to maintain the friendships he was starting to form. Anxiously, he rubbed the back of his neck, his face showing a form of guilt._

  
  


_The first actual peace offering they had was now tarnished, he had thought. He turned to Charlie, forcing a smile on his face._

  
  


_“ _This is my friend, Charlie. The one I've been telling you about.” Danny piped quickly, introducing the two girls. Lacey's mouth turned into a seemingly sweet, but bitter smile at the girl. Her hair was curly, stopping at the middle of her back, while dark eyeshadow covered her eyelids. She had ruby red lipstick, and her eyes, with a sure sign of heterochromia, as one eye was hazel, while the other appeared the be green. This girl was different. She now understood why he had befriended her in the first place. Petite, beautiful, different.__

  
  


_“ _Hi, I'm Lacey.” She introduced, giving a slight wave. The girl smiled before turning away, her arms folded across her chest. In a way, she reminded her of Sarita, by how she seemed almost territorial of Danny, already.__

  
  


_“ _I'm ready when you are.” Charlie spoke softly, looking up at Danny in admiration. Danny stepped towards Lacey, after excusing himself from Charlie's presence. Lacey peeped over his shoulder, seeing the girl nearly glaring at her.__

  
  


_“ _Clingy shadow, huh?” She teased. Danny grinned and looked down and back at her.__

  
  


_“ _At least she accepted me.”__

  
  


_The way he worded it almost made Lacey feel like she wasn't the right match for him, like she was the one who kept him on the outskirts, keeping her distance like other people did, solely to fit in and not lose her title._

  
  


_“ _What does that mean?”__

  
  


_Danny sighed, realizing what he had just said._

  
  


_“ _I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry. It's just that, despite my whole glimpse of a dark and dreary past, they still accepted me. It actually feels good to walk down the halls and not get stared at negatively.”__

  
  


_“ _I'm sure you're getting stared at by some people.” Lacey stressed, while her eyes focused on Charlie, and back to Danny's. He seemed confused, unable to catch what she was insinuating.__

  
  


_“ _Thank you for offering to drive me home, but I'm working with Charlie to decorate for the dance later.”__

  
  


_She paused for a moment, wondering if this party was an open invitation for her to show up._

_  
“Can I come?” Damn, the words seemed almost weird coming from her mouth. She had grown so accustomed to naturally being invited, that rarely asked._

  
  


_Danny lowered his head and looked back into her eyes, seeing her beautiful face._

_  
“It's only for private schools that we associate ourselves with. I'm sorry.”_

 

_Lacey pursed her lips together, slightly embarrassed at getting turned down, but understanding how they worked, anyway. Was this actually happening? If thought about long enough, Danny and Lacey had changed social stances in high school for the next two years, and that scared her. She tried her best to remain her cavalier expression, unable to determine if Danny wanted her in his life anymore now that the progress he was making was better than at Green Grove High School. Seeing Charlie walking towards Danny and Lacey, she sighed, unable to see how hard it was to comprehend the mere thought of a private conversation between two people._

 

_“ _Danny, come on. We're running on a schedule.” She tugged gently on his sweater vest, urging him to drop Lacey and continue into the building with her.__

  
  


_“ _I'm sorry, Lace. I really gotta go. I'll text you tomorrow, alright?”__

  
  


_Lacey forced a slight smile on her face as Danny continued into the school with Charlie. She watched as the girl turned around. A weird vibe crept into her, right in her core,as if she were just kicked in her gut. Although the look that Charlie character gave her definitely made her feel like she was being killed with her eyes._

  
  


_At home, nothing seemed really worthwhile anymore. Despite the fact that the relationship she had with her mother and sister had deteriorated, her best subject, Chemistry, looked damn near illegible. Her pencil tapped against her notebook. She toyed with the periodic table, creating words with the abbreviations of different elements, annoying herself while she rolled over from her stomach to her back, staring at the ceiling. Her phone was the one thing she couldn't look at, and everytime she sat at her desk, at her laptop, the vivid image of her and Danny making out in his house burned her heart and brain. She closed her eyes, knowing that she wasn't making any progress with her Chemistry homework, tucking it away. She promised herself that she'd make use of her study period to actually do homework and not hide from the people in her school. Depression couldn't stop good grades._

_Her clock revealed the time: 9:30. She sighed to herself, definitely bored at the thought of staying home everyday and not having some sort of activity to busy herself with. She was sure that if she called Sarita, she'd answer without knowing who's number it was since her contact was probably deleted. She contemplated calling Phoebe, though she wasn't sure where their friendship lied at this point. The only person she could call was Danny, who was probably teaching the traditional dance that the trio had rehearsed together as kids. Those were the days, before Danny became an allged "socio" and the days they were each other's best friends. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that she would probably be dating Danny about now, if Jo hadn't caught on about their attraction._

  
  


_Her phone vibrated, an unusual sound that she hadn't heard since the day before the video got out. She picked it up, seeing a text from Danny, and sitting up instantly._

  
  


__**Danny:** _ _ _At the diner. Want to come?_

  
  


_Lacey sighed, a slight uneasiness coming over her, but the thrill of being with Danny, just the two of them, alone, made her feel better, for some reason. She could finally have a decent talk with him since everything had happened._

  
  


_She ran her fingers through her hair quickly, grabbing her jacket while rushing down the stairs with her car keys._

  
  


_“ _Where are you going?” Lacey turned, seeing her mother in the dining room, a magazine in her hands while a cup of tea sat beside her. She was unusually suspicious abou her daughter's behavior lately, even when she was dating Danny, though that secret was safe from the Porter household.__

  
  


_“ _It's Friday night, mom.” Lacey shrugged. Judy looked over her daughter and raised a cautious eyebrow.__

  
  


_“I didn't know that every Friday held an invitation somewhere," she teased. When she caught on about how uncomfortable her daughter seemed about her own social life, she ceased her smart remarks and cut to the chase. " _How's Sarita and Phoebe? I haven't seen them in a while.”__

  
  


_“ _They're fine. I'm gonna head out, okay?” Lacey rushed to the door, closing it behind her as she drove to the diner.__

__

__She examined herself in the mirror, making sure she looked okay, before seeing realizing someone was staring at her from outside her car. She turned her head, seeing Danny standing by the diner, his hands shoved into his pockets, that signature smirk on his face._ _

  
  


_Lacey returned the smile, getting out the car and locking it, walking towards Danny._

  
  


_“ _I didn't get an answer, so I figured you were either ignoring me or driving.”__

  
  


_“ _I'm just so glad to get out of the house. I needed something to do. You know, get my mind off of things.”__

  
  


_“ _I heard Phoebe had a birthday party.”__

  
  


_“ _Even if she said she forgave me, she didn't show it. I'm still paying for what I did, but at least I'm sure who my friends really are, if I have any.”__

  
  


_Danny paused for a moment, stopping himself from answering too quick._

  
  


_“ _You have me. You'll always have me.” He smiled.__

_  
Lacey could feel herself falling into his enchanting looks, and those eyes of true sincerity. Phoebe had those eyes a few days ago, but now, they were meaningless since she never stood up for her anymore. A typical act. She could still feel her attraction for him, which she desperately wanted to fight. She stepped towards Danny, her actions canceling out any thoughts in her mind. Lacey reached for his hand, taking it in hers. His eyes turned from sweet to longing, as he knew her next move. She stepped closer to him, slowly raising her hand to bring him closer to her, but stopped once she saw, no other than Charlie. She glanced from Danny to Lacey, then back at Danny, menacingly._

  
  


_“ _We're about to order. Thought you'd want to come inside if she didn't show, but she did so...yay.” She remarked sarcastically. Lacey's vision of her lips wanting to meet Danny's cracked as the girl stared at both of them. Had she known that he was with his friends, she wouldn't bother seeing him now.__

  
  


_Danny cleared his throat, the grip of her hand fading slowly as they walked into Johnny Cakes, holding the door open for both Charlie and Lacey to enter. Charlie scooted into the booth first, then Danny, after Lacey insisted she sat at the end for a quick escape. In front of them was Patrick, his girlfriend, and a rather short but muscular guy._

  
  


_Danny reached down, placing his hand on Lacey's knee, to show that he knew what she wanted, too. Lacey shifted her position so that her knee didn't meet his hand anymore, to which Danny glanced at her, before turning to his menu._

  
  


_“ _So, this is my friend Lacey. We've known each other since forever. And this is Patrick, his girlfriend Janie, and Mike.” Mike was Janie's ex-boyfriend, though she did manage to drag him around everywhere she went with Patrick, most likely to make him jealous.__

  
  


_“ _So Lacey, have you been here before?” Janie asked, looking over the menu.__

  
  


_“ _It's a bit out of our way, isn't it?” Mike responded, glancing at his other friends who nodded, in agreement.__

  
  


_“ _Yeah, Danny and I came here all the time when we were little with another friend. Our parents sat in the booths behind us to make us feel more grownup, I guess.” Lacey smiled at the memory. Danny chuckled.__

  
  


_“ _Those were the days, huh Lace?”__

  
  


_“ _Well, I truly believe that the reason why we haven't come here isn't about distance. It's probably those public school kids who have ran us out of a friendly environment because of their violence.”__

  
  


_"Exactly. Their school system is so unorganized." Mike piped, while sipping some of his water._

 

_Danny looked down while his friends all spoke. She remembered how Danny and Archie got into it a while ago near the first days he came to school._

  
  


_“ _I got into a fight in school. That doesn't mean I'm violent towards everyone I meet. And public school was hell, for me, but the system showed no signs of being unorganized.” Danny stated. Lacey could feel how hurt he was from Charlie's statement. A friend who couldn't accept your past wasn't truly a friend, at all. Charlie remainded speechless for a moment, until others spoke up in Danny's favor.__

  
  


_“ _But that Archie guy provoked you.” Patrick protested.__

  
  


_“ _Yeah, and plus, you're just...misunderstood.” Charlie's eyes glanced from Lacey's to Danny's. She gave him a dreamy look, that made Lacey's insides ball into a knot. She felt awkward, knowing that most of the people at the table believed that public school kids were always violent or malicious.__

  
  


_“ _What's wrong with public school?”__

  
  


_“ _Well, we just told you.” Charlie shrugged.__

  
  


_“ _Just because we aren't being oppressed like you all are, that doesn't mean you have to criticize us for not wearing uniforms to represent our school.” Lacey backfired, ignoring the concerned looks that Patrick, Max, and Janie gave her. She didn't want to snap at Charlie, though her voice was able to reveal annoyance. Besides, she knew that if she were to have an outburst for no apparent reason, she'd only slightly prove their point about "public school behavior".__

  
  


_“ _We are not oppressed. We represent unity. We are a student body. Unlike your school, we don't give ourselves a bad name.” Charlie spat.__

  
  


_“ _The only bad name you give yourself is to be labeled as a bunch of judgmental snobs.”__

  
  


_“ _So who's ready to order? I personally think that the onion rings are the best sides.” Danny interrupted. The staring contest between Lacey and Charlie continued, as Danny sat awkwardly in between the two girls. Lacey sighed, calmly telling herself to simply continue trying to have a nice time tonight.__

  
  


_“ _Let's share a drink.” Charlie insisted as she linked her arm with Danny's, resting her head on her shoulder. That set it off for Lacey. She was stunned. Danny wasn't even moving. He didn't even budge when she laid on him like she was his girlfriend. Conflicted with the idea that she was no longer his girlfriend and that they were just friends, angered her in the more envious way. She said so herself, she blamed herself for going out with him, so why was it so hard right now to admit that what they had was over? She tapped her fingers on the table, watching a waitress coming over with a notepad. She glanced at everyone, seeing them looking at their menus. Danny turned to face Lacey, a concerned look grew upon his face.__

  
  


_“ _Something the matter?”_  
_   
  


_“ _You know, I think I have to go.” Lacey lied, excusing herself from the table and walking out of the dinner. She held onto her purse that hung around her body, tightly, as she made her way to her car. She sighed, dropping her keys. Once she retrieved them, she jumped, seeing Danny's reflection behind her in her car window. She turned back to the keyhole, putting the key inside, trying to hurry herself along.__

  
  


_“ _What's wrong?”__

  
  


_“ _Who said anything was wrong?”__

  
  


_Danny chuckled and looked to the side before turning back to her, taking a few steps towards her._

  
  


_“ _Judging by your little debate with Charlie back there and how you stormed out of the diner, I don't think you were just power walking to squeeze in some last minute exercising, Lace.”__

  
  


_Lacey paused, trying to keep herself from blurting out what she was really tempted to say._

  
  


_“ _Your friend is very opinionated.”__

  
  


_“ _Clearly, that's what I find interesting about her.” He admitted. Lacey took in a deep breath, shrugging a little.__

  
  


_“ _I guess, if you like dark makeup and four foot nine girls with a messy, overly possessive personality, then I guess so.”__

  
  


_“ _She's nice to me. She just needs time to learn how to share me with other people,” He explained. But for the first time, ever, Danny hadn't seemed so oblivious. “Why do you care?''__

  
  


_“ _I don't. I just don't feel good. And plus, I'm a McDonald's person this late, anyway.”__

  
  


_“ _The usual, 'I don't feel good' doesn't work on me, Lace.”__

  
  


_Lacey turned around, looking at him._

  
  


_“ _Do you know how hard it is to go through school and not have anyone to understand how bad I'm hurt and how embarrassed I am? I get criticized in school, and out of school by people I don't even know, for all the wrong reasons. And-” She began, seeing Danny listening intently.__

  
  


_“ _And?”__

  
  


_“ _It's nothing.” She shook her head.__

_  
Danny took a few steps forward, looking into her eyes. She felt intimidated, but so tempted to kiss him, and have their lips meet again like old times._

  
  


_“ _Say it.” He egged on. Her muscles trembled, as she forced herself not. But she gave up. She nearly lunged at him, her mouth meeting his while she took a handful of his gorgeous locks, his arm holding her by her waist, while their bodies fit perfectly with the other. Danny's kisses were more of a yearning desire. He had missed her, and her kisses. How full they were, and how with one simple kiss, the world was theirs. Lacey tried to break the kiss, though Danny didn't allow it. He missed her, just as much as she missed him, though jealousy possessed her ability to rationalize. Lacey backed up, standing against her car while Danny his hands made their way from her waist to her face, cupping gently at how bad he wanted her again.__

  
  


_She broke the kiss, and to Danny's surprise, there were tears in her eyes. He knew how bad things were going for her. And at this moment, this was the only thing that felt right to her since the outbreak of the video. She licked her lips, and looked into Danny's eyes. She was slightly embarrassed for him to see her cry, but even more silly for what she was bound to express to him._

  
  


_“ _I think I love you, Danny.”__

  
  


_A small smirk traveled onto his mouth at her confession, as their noses rubbed together before they kissed._

  
  


_“ _I know I do.”__


	12. Chapter 12

The floor was hard and cold, while rain splattered against the window pane. The most calming sound, she thought, and the most sinful smell, of fresh rain hitting the earth. And outside, though it were gray and dreary, the sound simply relaxed her, even though she had already been in the calm and content state.

 

Perfection.

 

On the floor was a list of baby names, written on index cards. She matched baby names with middle names, as the “Desai” card, laid at the end of each matching. If only Danny were awake to help her pick out names. Only problem was...these were names that _she_ wanted.

 

_Parker Rain Desai?_

 

Not a good match.

 

_Stephen Michael Desai?_

 

Nah.

 

It was about ten o'clock, once she heard the sound of footsteps coming from their bedroom, towards the nursery. She turned her head, seeing that handsome figure standing in the doorway, looking at her curiously at the mess on the floor. Lacey always figured Danny was “sexy”, but what made him even sexier was how his eyes squinted when he woke up, and how his hair turned into a messy mane. Surely a sight she wanted to attack with her raging hormones. Danny rubbed his eyes, confusion pressed on his face as he looked at his wife.

 

“Good Morning.” Lacey said sweetly as she rearranged some more index cards.

 

“What's going on?”

 

“I found a bunch of baby names, both boy and girl names, that I liked, so I'm rearranging them with a middle name to see how I like them.” She smirked. The fifty flash cards of twenty-five male names and twenty-five female names, made Danny question for a moment on what they had discussed last night.

 

“What about my input?” He smirked, leaning against the doorway, his arms folded in front of him.

 

“Well, you were sleeping, and I woke up early, of course, to try and figure this out.”

 

Danny looked off down the hall and back at his wife. She seemed so focused on finding the perfect baby name that she had forgotten the initial plan for last night. But, he couldn't blame her. Having a baby was a surprise, but having twins was definitely something to rejoice even further over. He could understand how she would get side-tracked.

 

“I don't mean to pry, but remember what we talked about last night? You know, about Phoebe?”

 

Lacey stood up, heading towards Danny, kissing his cheek, as she nodded.

 

“Oh yeah! I'm about to leave at noon. Hopefully by then the rain would slow down a bit.” She grinned, walking downstairs. Danny followed behind her, heading to the kitchen to pour some juice for her and make coffee for him. Out of curiosity, Danny felt compelled to ask. He deserved to know, too, after all.

 

“So, what have you found out so far?” Danny asked.

 

“Since we don't know the sexes yet, I'm just playing guessing games. But if it's two boys, I want Cooper, Michael, Bradley, or James.”

 

Danny glanced over his shoulder, questioning if those were her legitimate options.

 

“Really? I thought something more traditional would be best. But we have time to think about it, _together._ ”

 

It grew silent between the couple, as he heard Lacey let out a heavy sigh of defeat. He glanced over his shoulder once again, this time seeing Lacey with watery eyes and a hurt look, staring at the table.

 

“I'm sorry if my name choices aren't good enough for our children.” She debated. Danny closed his eyes, forcing a smile from his face. He waited day after day for this time to come when her hormones would be at their peak. He knew how to prepare for this, too. He walked over to his wife, standing behind her.

 

“I'm sorry.” He muttered, his hands gently massaging her shoulders. Lacey's eyes closed slowly, biting her bottom lip as she tried to fight Danny's actions with her words.

 

“I feel like you don't appreciate me.” He brushed her hair over her shoulder, revealing her neck, kissing and sucking gently, as he grinned against her smooth skin, hearing her soft breaths at how good that felt. His hands trailed, down the front of her body, running over her breasts.

 

However, the couple paused, hearing a loud banging on the front door. Lacey nudged Danny, who quickly went to answer it. He opened the door quickly, seeing Chief Masterson. An embarrassed blush crossing both of their faces.

 

“Come to arrest me, Chief Masterson?” Danny joked, slightly trying to hide himself behind the door. He glanced at him, and back at Lacey, taking out a paper from a manila envelope.

 

“Actually, we have a search warrant this time.”

 

“What are you looking for?” Lacey asked, glancing at Danny.

 

“Something that connects you two with Archie Yates.”

 

“I'm afraid you have the wrong house, and I think Lacey can tell you that right now.” Danny pressed. Lacey hesitated, seeing Chief Masterson's impatient face as three more officers came behind him.

 

“Well?” Kyle asked, looking to Lacey for answers.

 

“Yeah, you have the wrong house,” She began. She looked down at her feet, and back at the group. “But you can search the house because we don't have anything to hide.”

 

Chief Masterson nodded, telling a blonde woman to check upstairs, while two men were assigned downstairs- one in the kitchen, the other in the living room. Kyle took it upon himself to, despite the rain, check outside in the yard.

 

Danny hurried to his wife, a worried look on his face.

 

“Are you crazy? I thought you were going to tell him about Phoebe?”

 

“At random like that? It's like we're making ourselves look guilty by not letting him search. Just let him search and we'll be fine.” She assured quietly. After about five minutes, the group gathered downstairs. Chief Masterson came back inside, pushing his hood off of his head as he stood by the front door.

 

“We have potential suspect in the case.” Lacey blurted out quickly. She could feel her nerves shaking this time, hoping for the best.

 

“Are you sure there's anything you can say that will clear your names?”

 

“Phoebe Daly was present the night of Regina's murder. She didn't murder Regina. I don't know who did. But she saw Archie Yates leaving her house quickly. She told me last month that he's been bothering her ever since, making sure that she stayed quiet.”

 

Chief Masterson looked at Eddie, smirking, unconvinced.

 

“Is that so?”

 

“Yes, why would we lie?”

 

Eddie stepped forward, holding a plastic zipped bag in his hands. Inside lay a phone chord, evidently buried in the backyard. Small chunks of dirt lay in the bag as well.

 

“We found the murder weapon.”

 

–

 

“Now, what exactly happened that night?”

 

Her foot tapped impatiently, knowing that there was no way to help herself, now. She felt ashamed that she was, once again, selfish for not wanting to rat out a friend, meanwhile the friend ratted her out, instead. She sighed, her hands over her stomach, as if her stomach had revealed her pregnancy, which it hadn't, yet.

 

“Danny and I went to Tyler's Halloween party, and Phoebe came up to me, talking and congratulating me on my pregnancy.”

 

“Right, I never got the chance to congratulate you, Lacey. I bet your parents are proud.”

 

Lacey detected a touch of sarcasm with what he said, ignoring his comment to continue with her statement.

 

“She stopped talking and all of a sudden she just looked really upset. She was looking at someone and when I turned around, it was Archie. But, when I turned to face Phoebe, again, she wasn't there. Like she had vanished, I swear. Archie and I talked for a bit, but I had gone to the bathroom. It was obvious he was drinking.”

 

“How much are we talking?”

 

“Like, four or five beers. I'm not sure. It seemed like life wasn't treating him well.”

 

“Right, go on.”

 

“Danny and I moved a few weeks later, I believe. We were moving in and Phoebe had come by and told me that she got a flat tire the night that Regina died. She was visiting her grandmother in Manhattan and came home late because of traffic. She was walking home and she saw Archie heading back to Scott's car. She said he threatened her to make sure that she wouldn't tell anyone. She came over last night, but I made her leave. She took a little while leaving, though. But as far as I'm concerned, she didn't come back at all that night.”

 

Chief Masterson's face looked uncomfortable, almost like he wanted to believe her, but couldn't. It would just so happen that Danny was her husband. Perhaps she was covering for him? He wouldn't know. All he did know was that with the secrets about the envelope sent to Regina's house years ago led him to believe that taking up for people and potentially being a scapegoat was Lacey's specialty.

 

“Do you know how hard it is for me to believe you?”

 

“It's extremely hard, sir, but I wouldn't blame my friend if it weren't true. Please, Phoebe's trying to frame us. Who else was there to witness us by Archie's job?”

 

“How did you even know that she was going to his job that night?”

 

“I asked Jo to check Tyler's phone for any weird texts from Phoebe. She received one saying that she was going into town around ten that night,” The look on his face, knowing that Lacey and Danny still brought Jo into dangerous situations confused him. “We followed Phoebe into the alley of the back of the warehouse. We heard an altercation. I wanted to go back to the car but not without Danny. He heard someone being strangled so he wanted to help. Hearing Archie...it brought back memories. It didn't matter who it was, he wanted to save them. But, Phoebe rushed out of the warehouse, pushing Danny to the side. His elbow jabbed me in the stomach and we went to the hospital to check on the...twins.”

 

It almost scared her how Chief Masterson seemed almost as manipulative as Danny. His eyes, cold, beady, and piercing, made her uncomfortable in her seat.

 

“Okay, that's all, Lacey. Thank you. Have a seat outside.” He excused her. Lacey stood up, but paused, taking out her phone and handing it to him. He raised an eyebrow, slightly confused, a questioning look on his face.

 

“Phoebe called me on the way to the precinct. Maybe you can trace it.”

 

Kyle hesitated for a moment, but grabbed the phone, nodding as an approval for her dismissal. He watched as Lacey nearly rushed out of his office, sitting beside Danny. He held her close to him, as he managed to give kisses to her forehead to comfort her. He sighed, seeing him pick up a phone, making a call. Danny closed his eyes, reminiscing when things were happier back in Manhattan, instead of Green Grove, the town of trouble. He knew how bad he wanted to move, again, though Lacey loved their new home, and the thought of raising their children together in their hometown. But, all he could think of was Phoebe, and how she had betrayed them.

 

_It was hard for Danny to keep his hands off of his new wife. Her dress hugged her upper torso, flaring at her waist, like a true princess; extravagant and posh. He came closer to her, holding her face gently in his hands, kissing her forehead. Their wedding day, the happiest day of their lives, was the best day of their lives. And after their first dance, which they just performed, all he could think about were the pictures that they would hold and cherish, saving for their children, which wouldn't come for about a year after they got married. Yes, life was surely perfect._

 

_However, the music ceased, as the couple turned to a drunken Phoebe, a smug smile on her face while a glass of champagne was in her hands. Her hair seemed a bit messy, and her lipstick was smeared. Surely she had taken a liking to one of Danny's old college buddies. But that was the least of their worries._

 

_The couple locked hands, while the guests watched as Phoebe lifted up her glass._

 

“ _I just wanted to make a speech real quick,” She announced. She kicked off her shoes, handing them to Tyler who quickly came. “Take these.”_

 

“ _Oh God.” Lacey panicked with a soft smile on her face, curious yet a little embarrassed. But either way, she was their friend, and it didn't matter who thought bad of her._

 

“ _I'm Phoebe Daly, everyone. I've known Lacey since high school and we've been SO close, ever since. But not that close where we dated or nothin'. We were girls! It was me, her, and Sarita, but Sarita disapproves of the marriage so she didn't come,” Lacey gripped Danny's hand tighter, as they stood in the middle of the dance floor, staring in confusion at Phoebe's purpose of her speech. “Anyway, I remember when the school found out about Danny and Lacey dating. I swear, it was bad. She went from Queen Bee to this beautiful, hermit. Like, the opposite of Cinderella, I swear!”_

 

_Tyler appeared next to her, grabbing the microphone from her._

 

“ _Excuse my sister, everyone,” He faced Danny and Lacey, her shoes still in his care. “Congrats to the bride and groom!”_

 

“ _No, wait, I'm not done! What I say does have purpose, you know,” She grabbed the microphone back, a small burp escaping her mouth before she continued. “Like I said, she was so beautiful but so contagious. I mean, if you ever saw Lacey cry, you'd know how hurt you'll feel. She's so strong but when she's low, she's just...I don't know. But, I saw her one day in school, and I just had to help her. I couldn't leave her alone. I mean, come on, she was my good friend. I guess what I'm trying to say is that, Lacey, you're the sister I've never had, and often times the word of wisdom that I always need. You guys are opposites, but your chemistry is so electric. After everything, you guys are able to work out the kinks in relationships and stand together for all these years. I guess that's what makes you...Dacey.” She grinned._

 

_Though Lacey knew the guests were slightly annoyed at her disorganized speech, they liked the name given to the couple._

 

_Tyler grasped the microphone from his sister, grinning at the couple. He grabbed Phoebe's champagne, as Jo appeared at his side, ready to piece together her speech, next._

 

“ _To Dacey.” He cheered._

 

“ _Dacey!” Everyone called, holding up their glasses, as Tyler helped Phoebe from the front of the hall._

 

 

It had been three hours without being home. Lacey had grown tired, and hungry every minute, feeding off of the snacks from the single vending machine down the hall. Danny peeked into his wallet, seeing nothing but credit cards, which held money, but only a few dollar bills. He glanced at her, as she took another bite of her Nature Valley snack bar, sipping some water. He had ignored his hunger to focus on her getting food in her system for the twins.

 

“I'm really hungry.” She commented, folding down the wrapper to keep the bar from crumbling. He hated seeing her like this, especially when it came to their children. He stood up quickly, heading to Chief Masterson's office. He turned around, sighing, and hanging up a phone, looking at Danny.

 

“What can I do for you?”

 

“Lacey is hungry and tired, please. Just let us go home. She's pregnant, do you understand that?”

 

“Has she eaten something from the vending machine?”

 

“What are granola bars, trail mix, and water going to do with her hunger?”

 

Chief Masterson glanced from him to the number on his desk, standing up. He sat on the edge of it, looking at Danny.

 

“I've been trying to reach Phoebe Daly for a while, now. Her phone is off, so we can't trace the call from Lacey's phone. Any jobs that you can provide us with? Partners?”

 

“I don't know where Phoebe works, sir, let alone who she spends her time with, but if you want evidence on whether she was home or not the night Archie was killed, check her apartment complex security cameras.” He spoke, walking down the hall to get Lacey some trail mix from the vending machine.

 

Kyle stroked his chin gently, thinking, before putting on his jacket. It bothered him that Danny Desai was telling him how to do his job, but it bothered him even more to realize that they were so persistent with their story towards Phoebe, that it did make her seem suspicious. He rushed from his office, seeing Lacey sitting there, exhausted, hungry, and uncomfortable. She looked up at him, a pitiful face staring back at him. Instead of sympathizing and assuring her that everything would be better, he passed her by, heading down to Eddie's office.

 

“What do you have on Phoebe Daly?”

 

“She lives on 81 Main Street. Elanor Sinclaire Apartment Complex.”

 

“Let's go.” He ordered, leaving with Eddie. The duo arrived at the apartment complex, exiting and entering to the front desk.

 

\--

 

Danny made his way back to his wife, peeking into Chief Masterson's office, seeing no one there.

 

“Well, I guess he gave up on being menacing since I'm not a kid anymore.” Danny joked, handing her two packs of the trail mix. He saw the three empty wrappers of Nature Valley bars, sighing. Her water second water bottle was halfway empty. He shook his head, upset and disappointed that he couldn't provide enough for his wife, in cash.

 

“What's wrong?” Lacey asked, more concerned for husband at the sudden moment.

 

“I'm running out of cash.”

 

“It's no help that I left my wallet at home, either.” She spoke, holding onto Danny's hand.

 

“Where do you think she is,” He asked, looking into her eyes. “They can't trace her phone. She turned it off.”

 

Lacey thought for a moment, turning to Danny.

 

“I'm sorry that this happened. I should've just listened to you. We should've called the cops.”

 

“I never suggested that, Lacey,” He shook his head, his voice low and comforting. “But it's okay. We're going to be okay.” His hands held hers as he kissed the back of her hand gently. He wanted to make sure that she didn't worry, too much, though that part were clearly inevitable at this point.

 

Lacey rested her head on his shoulder, while Danny looked around. He heard the faint sounds of other officers talking, while they sat outside, waiting to be convicted of a murder they didn't commit. The doors opened as a tall, frantic man rushed in, with two people behind him who Danny had assumed were his parents.

 

Tyler spotted the couple, who perked up when seeing him. He walked over towards them, taking out his phone.

 

“Did you guys hear from Phoebe? I got a text from her about four hours ago. I tried calling but she's not there. Her car isn't home, no one is there. All her stuff is gone.”

 

Lacey looked at Danny, unsure how to tell him that his sister murdered Archie and was pinning it on them, instead.

 

“She called me, but I didn't catch it. She didn't leave a voicemail, either.”

 

“Chief Masterson tried calling her but her phone is off.” Danny explained, his hold on his wife's hand becoming lighter. Tyler's mother came before them, clearly upset and worried.

 

“Lacey, have you heard from her? Did she show any sign of being upset?”

 

Lacey sighed and looked into her mother's worried eyes.

 

“She came over for dinner yesterday, but it was getting late and we wanted alone time, so we turned her down.”

 

“Well, I'm going to try her again.” Her mother spoke, walking off.

 

“If her phone is off, why do you insist on calling her?” Their father asked. There wasn't a doubt in their minds that the disappearance of their daughter was playing a role on their emotions.

 

“Just hush up!” she called, walking outside while her husband followed nearby. Tyler sighed, a vein perforated on his forehead, indicating his stress level. Lacey gently nudged Danny, who stood up.

 

“Tyler, we need to talk to you.”

 

“About?”

  
“It's about Phoebe,” Danny spoke. He looked down at Lacey, who showed worry and regret for being the people to have to break this to them. “We think that Phoebe is involved fully in what happened to Archie.”

 

Tyler's face softened, looking at the both of them, as a doubtful grin appeared on his face.

 

“Are you guys crazy? How would you even know that?”

 

“We were there, and Jo was with us, too.” Lacey spoke softly.

 

“So you basically followed my sister? Invading her privacy? Maybe that's why she ran out in the first place,” Lacey could feel the tension rising in him, as he nearly turned red with anger. “How do I know you guys didn't kill him?”

 

“I wouldn't lie on her if it weren't true. I had to make a choice. It's either saving saving Phoebe or watching my kids grow up without a father, Tyler. Don't you understand?”  
  


“Your children? Oh, you mean your little demonic children who will grow up to be mini-sociopaths like their father? Classy family.” He spat.

 

Danny stood up, getting close to Tyler, visibly intimidating him at how his facial expression changed.

 

“Do not talk about my family. And besides, if anything, its your sister who's the murderer in this case, pal, not me.”

 

Tyler's hands gripped Danny's collar, slamming him against the wall. Danny pushed away from him, shoving him against the wall, his forearm against Tyler's neck.

 

“Get off of me.” Tyler managed to muster out a few words while being restrained by Danny.

 

“Like I said, don't talk about my family.” Danny warned. Lacey watched, unsure what to do. She knew that both men were tense and upset, and that the thought of their family being threatened or taken away from them was hard.

 

“You guys have to remain calm.” Lacey spoke, watching Danny slowly release Tyler. Tyler cleared his throat, eyeing both of them before leaving the precinct to join his parents in the parking lot. Danny sat down beside Lacey, holding his head in his hands.

 

“I'm sorry.” He whispered, his leg bouncing impatiently.

 

“It's fine.” Lacey murmured, placing her hand on Danny's back, rubbing softly. After one more granola bar, Chief Masterson came inside, Phoebe's family trailing behind him. He spotted the couple, sitting there, and turned around to them.

 

“One moment.” He spoke, motioning for the couple to meet him inside.

 

The couple hurried into his office, sitting before him as he sat, uneasily, at his desk. His hands folded on the desk, as he took out the tape.

 

“What did you find?” Danny asked, gripping Lacey's hand.

 

“You were right, Desai. She left that night and didn't come home until the next morning. Guard said she left the house this morning on a 'vacation'. She had her bags packed.”

 

“She could be halfway across the country by now.”

 

“We need a trace. We aren't picking up where she called you, Lacey.” He spoke, handing her the cell phone back. She thought for a moment and spoke up.

 

“Tyler got a text from her. He just told us not too long ago.”

 

Chief Masterson looked at both of them, before leaving and coming back in with Tyler, who stood beside Lacey, away from Danny.

 

“You two are dismissed, thank you.”

 

“Can we go home, now?”

 

“You need to stay here until we figure that Phoebe is an actual suspect here.”

 

Danny took Lacey's hand as they exited Chief Masterson's office together, sitting outside. She looked at Danny, worry marked in her eyes as Danny's showed nothing but courage.

 

“One step closer?”

  
“I'm hoping so.”

 

The map on the computer shifted, picking up where Phoebe sent the text to Tyler. Their family didn't take the news well that she was potentially a suspect in a murder investigation, though Phoebe's mother wasn't surprised, claiming that Danny Desai was a bad influence on Lacey, who was now a bad influence on Phoebe. Yet, Chief Masterson couldn't shake the fact that Danny and Lacey were innocent. Why would a loving husband and seemingly happy soon-to-be-father risk his life with going to jail by murdering someone? After about an hour in the office, Phoebe's family were sent out of the office, while Chief Masterson made a call to the location he found.

 

Phoebe's mother tried to walk past the couple, though she couldn't contain herself any longer.

 

“Happy? You're pinning all this on Phoebe. Making her life so stressful. Shame on you, Lacey. I thought you would have known better than to marry, let alone copulate, with Danny Desai.”

 

“And I thought Phoebe would know better than to murder someone.”

 

Danny watched as the two women met eyes, both full of detest and angst.

 

“Come on, let's go.” Tyler spoke, tugging on his mother's coat as they exited the precinct.

 

Kyle picked up the phone, tracing the call to a building named Marna Faulte INS. His fingers danced quickly along the phone, as the phone rang, and rang, and rang some more. His curiosity built up, as the phone stopped ringing for a second, and quickly hung up before he could respond and question who was calling. He waited a few seconds, looking over the number again before redialing.

 

Thus, he tried again.

 

Kyle murmured the numbers to himself while dialing, placing the phone to his ear while it repeated its process of ringing. This time, luckily, someone had answered at the front desk.

 

“Marna Faulte Psychiatric Institute, how may I help you?”  


	13. Chapter 13

She looked horrendous. Pale face, dark circles under her eyes, unkept hair, and red, tired eyes. It seemed like the life had been stolen from Phoebe. Two days had gone by since Kyle made that call, granting a suspicious lead in the case that brought him to his ultimate suspect sitting right before him. He allowed Danny and Lacey to go home and eat, while he questioned the girl who looked disheveled and clearly out of sync with normalcy. The first question he asked her, she didn't bother answering, and remained quiet, softly humming to herself while staring at his badge. He grew tired of playing games with her, pounding his fists on the table to stop the eerie sound coming from deep in her throat, wanting answers.

 

“Are you going to tell me why you killed Archie and why you checked yourself into Marna Faulte?” Chief Masterson asked. For the first time that they were there, she made eye contact with him. She squinted her eyes, staring back at him, still humming. Yet, once she had confirmed with herself on what she wanted to say, she stopped humming. Her lips curled into a slow smile, as her eyes and smile told different stories. Her eyes showed that she wasn't here, like her mind was on vacation, and that she left a crappy a receptionist in her place to do all her work for her. The Phoebe Lacey knew would be the type to start confessing due to an overwhelming abundance of stress and pressure, though she showed no signs of contrition.

 

“I. Don't. Know.”

 

Chief Masterson grew angry, standing up, towering over the girl on the opposite side of the table. His hands ached as his fists clenched tighter. She didn't look at him any longer, and instead, closed her eyes while he began yelling.

 

“You're going to answer me, Phoebe. Don't play games here.”

 

There was silence between the two which was soon broken by the sound of his shoes hitting the floor of the room, growing fainter as he made his way to the door. Phoebe made a high pitched humming noise, causing Chief Masterson to turn around, seeing Phoebe was staring at him. A chill traveled up Kyle's spin at how piercing her eyes were as she looked at him.

 

“I saw Archie leaving Regina's house on September 30th, late. I came back from visiting my grandma in Manhattan. I caught a flat, and decided to walk the rest of the way home. The light was on in her house, and I saw Archie running out and to Scott's car. Since then it's been hell.”

 

“Why'd you blame it on Danny?”

 

“Well, I wanted to see if an easy target was once again... _easy_. Guess I was stupid for making myself obvious to them.”

 

“And you checked yourself into Marna Faulte?”

 

“I'll plead insanity, sir.”

 

“Do you believe that you are, in fact, mentally ill, Phoebe?”

 

“Well, one thing I didn't tell you was that Archie stopped harassing me two years ago.”

 

Chief Masterson eyed her as another grin appeared on her face. 48 Hours had come and gone. He knew what had to come of her fate. In frustration, Kyle left the room, locking the door behind him, as he appeared in the detectives room right next door.

 

“What do you say?” He asked to his partner, Detective Rossi.

 

The woman looked at him, and back at the glass where she saw Phoebe sitting there. Although they were sure she wasn't able to see them, Phoebe was staring right at Detective Rossi.

 

“You sure she really killed him? There's no link with Desai whatsoever?” The PI spoke, shaking her head while she stared at Phoebe.

 

“You have a man who is a successful writer whose wife is pregnant with twins. Do you really think he'd risk it all? He'd risk a normal life for some guy who used to date his wife?”

 

“Well then why did he do it before?”

 

“And why did she check herself into Marna Faulte?”

 

The PI sighed, turning to Chief Masterson who shrugged a shoulder quickly.

 

“It's time to call the DA.”

–

 

From upstairs, Lacey reviewed the baby names that she hadn't gotten the chance to edit, in a while. Truthfully, she couldn't even consider baby names, with the thought that since Phoebe was found at a psychiatric institute, where would that leave them? Are they off the hook? She let out a heavy sigh as nausea settled in her stomach, the second time today, though she had reason to believe that her nausea was a mixture of restless nerves, as well as pregnancy symptoms. She heard Danny coming up the stairs from answering the telephone. He appeared in the doorway of the nursery, looking down at her as she studied her flashcards.

 

“Who was that?” Lacey sounded cavalier, though her only problem was that she cared, too much. So much, that she had driven herself crazy over the past two days.

 

“That was Chief Masterson,” He answered. Lacey faced him, wanting for him to continue, as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “They've called the DA. We're not suspects, anymore. If anything, when you, me and Jo go to court, we're just witnesses.”

 

Lacey felt at least 10% of stress lifted from her shoulders. She forced a smile on her face, while nodding at him, turning back to her names.

 

“What about Anthony?” She quickly changed the subject, holding up the cards. Danny came closer and sat down right beside her, holding her by her waist gently.

 

“I know you're upset, but you don't have to be, anymore. Everything is okay.”

 

It was silent between the couple, before Lacey decided to speak up in defense.

 

“My friend, one of the only friends I had in high school, tried to blame us for the murder of my ex-boyfriend who then checked herself into Marna Faulte. This will easily breeze over my head by tonight.” Her sarcasm stung Danny, one of the many traits that she and him shared, which connected them on a humor level.

 

“Phoebe's going to get the help she needs,” He spoke. Lacey nodded, looking down at her cards. He grabbed the pen laying beside her, and wrote: 'I Love You' on the back, holding it up to her. “That's all I care about, right now.”

 

Lacey leaned forward, planting a small kiss on his lips, while she messed around the cards. She wanted to, desperately, forget everything about Phoebe, but she couldn't. She knew that worrying wasn't good for, and was the last thing she needed to do right now.

 

“What if we named the baby Phoebe?” She joked.

 

Danny looked at her, a soft chuckle escaping his mouth as he grinned.

 

“And let's name the boys Archie, too.”

 

Lacey grinned, shaking her head.

 

“Fine, what do you decide?”

 

“I think we should focus on something we missed out on, like a little holiday just to ourselves.”

 

“Like going away?”

 

“I'm thinking more like...Hawaii. What do you think?”

 

Lacey thought for a moment and shook her head, protesting the idea.

 

“Hawaii? That's pretty far. You wouldn't want to go somewhere we can drive to and from? I wanted to go to Virginia for a while, just for the fact that I don't like planes, at all.”

 

Danny thought for a moment and shrugged his shoulders.

 

“Whatever you want. Just as long as we can consider it a belated honeymoon.” He grinned, resting his forehead against hers. She nodded quickly and leaned forward, kissing her husband.

 

–

 

Cool air hit Lacey's face as she stepped out of the car. She stretched briefly, looking at the hotel that stood before them. It was big, with guests coming in and out with carts for their suitcases. Lacey made her way to the trunk, attempting to lift their bags from the car, which Danny didn't allow. He held them on his shoulder, while they walked inside together, at the beautiful lobby. Thankfully, there wasn't a line at the front desk. Danny leaned on it, tapping the bell, waiting for someone to come and help them get their room straightened out.

 

“I guess we'll just make our way to the most expensive room here. I'll go grab a key.” Lacey whispered. Danny grinned, kissing her cheek.

 

“Well, even though I do know how to break and enter into apartments, it's not the same for hotel rooms, sadly.” He teased. Lacey felt Danny's arm pull her closer, as he saw a short woman with dark red hair coming to the front. She looked familiar, which caused Lacey to wonder, sarcastically, who it was.

 

“Didn't know Snooki worked here.” She teased quietly. She turned to Danny, expecting him to laugh, but instead saw a straight face as he and the girl exchanged looks. She turned her head, seeing the girl, a slight smirk on her face while she studied Danny, which made Lacey uncomfortable. She wanted to know who this girl was that caught Danny's attention so abruptly.

 

“Long time no see, Desai.” She spoke, the words oozing from her mouth in such a suave way. Lacey gasped a little, eventually recognizing who the girl was from long ago.

 

“You too, Charlie,” He grinned. Ah yes, Charlotte. The little devil who had this crush on Danny when he went to Green Grove Prep. She remembered the time at the diner where Charlotte attempted to charm Danny, but failed. Much about her wasn't known, especially since Lacey and Danny were on again off again in the final years of high school. Perhaps they had dated? Lacey shook the thought and nudged Danny in the side, who jumped a little, giving a nervous laugh. “You remember Lacey, don't you?”

 

She was just Lacey? Not even his wife?

 

Charlotte turned her attention to Lacey, briefly, her smirk still on her face. She looked away and back at Danny, a slight shrug of her shoulder.

 

“I don't recall.” She said softly, nearly staring at Danny.

 

“You should. I was his girlfriend in high school. And college. I'm his wife now. You don't remember?”

 

Charlotte's eyes, like daggers, tried to intimidate Lacey, as an unamused expression burned on her face.

 

“Okay, let's take a breath for a moment,” Danny spoke, trying to calm the two. He cleared his throat, catching Charlie's expression, who faced her computer, handing them their keys. “Your room is on the fourth floor. Breakfast starts at seven and ends at eleven. It's free.”

 

Danny handed the card to his wife, shoving the other in his pocket. He took her hand as he huddled the duffel bags on his shoulder. Though Danny were walking away, mobility was the last thing on her mind, while Charlie continuously stared at her.

 

“Great, free breakfast.” He grinned, trying to catch his wife's attention, even though her mind filled with other topics, instead.

 

“I guess some things never change,” Lacey spoke. Danny glanced at her, sighing to himself while walking to the elevator. Lacey furrowed her eyebrow at his action. “I hope you don't think this was my fault.”

 

“It's not anyone's fault, Lace.” he spoke. The elevator arrived, a high pitched _Ding! a_ nnouncing itself to the floor level. The couple got on, pressing the number four as the elevator doors closed slowly.

 

“You know she recognized me. She practically hated me for no reason.”

 

“Let's just...let it go, Lacey. This is our vacation away from all the drama.”

 

“I guess I'm causing more, then, I assume.” She spoke, stepping off the elevator before him, walking down the hall to find their room.

 

Lacey stopped in front of the door of room 417, using her card to open it, and pushing the door open. The room was large, with a sitting area and a television near the front of the room, the bathroom and sink, and a large bedroom with one bed and another television. Danny dropped their stuff off at the sitting area, grabbing her hand while she walked towards the bedroom. It was five o'clock, and the sun was beginning to go down, already. She took off her jacket, tossing it on the bed, as she sat down, while Danny did the same.

 

“Look, I just want this to be our getaway, our relaxation time to just be with each other without the fear of Chief Masterson knocking on our door about the case, or Jo telling you anymore about Tyler. Just us, okay?”

 

Danny leaned forward, kissing his wife, as she smiled through the kiss. Lacey pulled away and looked up at Danny as he stood before her. She removed her sweater from her body, revealing her bra to him. Danny's heartbeat escalated as he sat beside her, glancing from her face to her chest, leaning forward and kissing her, while one hand massaged her chest. She let out an innocent sigh of pleasure, while she laid down on the bed. Danny, now on top of her, yanked her bra down, revealing her chest, kissing and sucking on her neck, leaving a love bite.

 

Lacey arched her back, allowing Danny to unhook her bra, tossing it aside, as he unzipped her jeans. Lacey fought out of them, pulling off Danny's shirt. He reached down, his hand traveling over her body, and to her thong, his hand slipping underneath the fabric, and soon, in between her flesh. Lacey grinned, biting her lip, as she felt his fingers inside of her, in and out, running over her G-spot. Danny pulled his fingers out, toying with her clit between his index finger and thumb. Her moans were inviting, as her eyes were half-opened, staring at him, wanting to pull him on top of her, but was too weak and in his possession to do anything but embrace the pleasure his fingers caused her.

 

Danny pulled his hands out, laying on the bed, while Lacey climbed ontop of him, her bare chest again his, while she fiddled with his zipper, pulling his jeans down. She felt for his dick, grabbing onto it, stroking it over his boxers, teasing him, instead. A grin appeared on Lacey's face.

  
She had to have him, she couldn't handle teasing him any longer. She felt for the opening of his boxers, retrieving his dick, and bringing it to her area. She watched his expression, as it slid inside. The couple made eye contact, grinning as she began bouncing on him. She closed her eyes, as she felt him inside of her, pushing past her sensitive spot over and over again. Danny raised his hand to her clit, toying with it with his thumb, in circular motions, intensifying the pleasure for her.

 

Danny began humping upward, assisting in her riding him, as his hips met between her thighs. Lacey groaned, leaning forward, nibbling on his earlobe, while Danny took a chunk of her hair in his hands, as he began thrusting faster. Lacey's pitch changed each time she felt close to climaxing. She closed her eyes, hearing Danny's groans get faster, as she tried to catch her breath from the overwhelming sensation.

 

She felt herself coming close, grabbing the bed spread below them, while she reached her climax. She closed her eyes tight, feeling Danny still thrusting inside, as he released inside of her. She smiled, rolling over from on top of him, laying down, as hair stuck to her forehead with beads of sweat. She turned to Danny, who was trying to bring himself back to reality. She sat up, kissing his forehead.

 

“How about another round?” he grinned, sitting up as well. Lacey shrugged a shoulder, laying on the bed.

 

“Not yet, let's rest and _recharge_.” She grinned, turning on her side. Danny met her from behind, his hand resting on her pelvis.

 

Butterflies fluttered inside, as she smiled, feeling his warmth against her body, and the warmth that he transferred from his body to her pelvis. She closed her eyes, feeling his breath grow heavy on the back of her neck. She yawned a little, feeling herself slip away from exhaustion as his arms were like a protective shield of her.

 

It was midnight when Lacey sat up quietly. The breeze from the window that she thought she had closed chilled her bare body. She looked to her left, seeing Danny on his back, under the covers. She was starving, and what she had wanted as in a nap had turned into a basic through-the-night sleep. Her stomach growled, feeling guilty for falling asleep rather than feeding herself and the twins. She placed a hand on Danny's shoulder.

 

“Danny,” She whispered. An innocent grunt from him snoring escaping him. She sighed, shaking him a little more harder. “Hey, wake up.”

 

Yet, he didn't budge.

 

She grew impatient, shaking him furiously.

 

“Danny!” She whispered louder. Danny jumped up, looking at her. She grinned, seeing how attractive he looked while half asleep.

 

“What? What's going on?”

 

“I'm hungry.” She frowned. Danny sighed, rubbing his eyes, and looking at her.

 

“What do you want to eat?”

 

“I think there's some Cup of Noodles in the cupboard. I noticed a little shoppe in the lobby of the hotel. Maybe there's something there?”

 

Danny sat up straight, yawning and getting out of bed. He grabbed his boxers and his shirt, putting them on lazily, while rummaging in his bag for some slippers. He opened the cupboard, groaning once he noticed it was empty.

 

“There's no food in here.” He called.

 

“Can you go downstairs, please? I have to eat something.”

 

Danny blinked, stretching and nodding, trying his best to wake himself up. He grabbed his phone and held it tightly in his hands, before walking to the door and exiting. The hallway was quiet, except for the sound of a large family across from them making noise, trying to settle in, he guessed. He walked down the hallway, to the elevator, waiting to go downstairs. He rode down to the lobby, leaning on the side of the elevator, in exhaustion, closing his eyes momentarily, before opening them once he heard the chime, indicating he was on the first floor. He watched as the family cautiously examined him. He grinned, tucking his hair behind his ears, throwing up his hand as an informal, “Hey.” to them, before leaving to go on his way. He walked in the empty lobby, to the front desk.

 

He stepped inside the little shoppe full of any type of necessities, such as pain killers, water, chips, and shirts indicating the traditional “I (heart) VA” found almost anywhere at any gift shop in any state. He grabbed the Cup of Noodles, walking out to front desk, seeing Charlotte toying with her phone. She looked up at him, grinning, seeing the exhausted and half-asleep look he had on his face.

 

“Hey, Sleeping Beauty, come for a midnight snack?” She teased.

 

“My wife, she's hungry, and eating for three.” He held up three fingers with a smile, rubbing his eyes.

 

“Wow, twins? What are the odds?” She asked, grabbing the soup from him, charging him. “Three twenty four.”

 

Danny groaned, slamming his fist on the counter.

 

“I forgot my wallet upstairs. I promise, just hold it for me. I'll go get it, I promise.” He started to turn away, but stopped once he heard Charlotte call him back.

 

“Danny,” She spoke softly. He stopped, turning around to look at her. Charlie looked over her shoulder quickly, hoping no one was behind her. She brought him close to the counter. “It's on the house, trust me. I know it's late, and I know you're trying to help her as much as you can.”

 

Danny smirked, looking at her. The phone vibrated in his hands when he stood at the desk.

 

 **Lacey:** Grab a bottle of water, too, please :)

 

Danny looked at Charlotte, guilty. She stared back at him. So much beauty for someone who was working all day and the night shift.

 

“I need something else.” He spoke, as though it pained him to ask, which it partially did. She grinned and shrugged a shoulder, emphasizing that her lips were sealed with the hand gesture. He quickly went into the freezer, grabbing a cold one, before hurrying off to the elevator, whispering a slight “Thank You” to her, before hurrying upstairs.

 

Danny hit the door with his knee, waiting for Lacey to open it. Lacey opened the door, grinning at him with her clothes fully on, as well as the lights, and the television.

 

“Thanks babe.” She smiled, grabbing the items from him. Danny looked around the hotel, confused.

 

“It's twelve am, what are you doing with all the lights on and television?”

 

“I don't like staying in hotel rooms by myself. They're creepy, so CNN kept me company.” She grinned. Danny smirked, shaking his head as he went to put the bottle of water in the mini-fridge, but stopped once he saw three full, unopened bottles of water already in there.

 

“There was water in here already.” He stated.

 

Lacey looked over her shoulder as she heated up the cup of noodles in the microwave.

 

“Oh well, just toss the other one in there.”

 

Danny hesitated, holding the bottle in his hands.

 

“I can't, I took it from the shop without paying for it.” He spoke, heading towards the door. Lacey stared at the door, shrugging as she waited for her food to get ready, while on the opposite side, Danny sighed, upset at how his tired body was being tossed upstairs and downstairs for the past few minutes, while he could be sleeping. On the elevator, he sighed, hurrying to the front desk once he reached the level, seeing Charlotte speaking to some guests. Just as he arrived to the front desk, the guests left, heading to the elevator with their suitcases. Danny placed the bottle of water on the counter, causing Charlotte to snicker.

 

“Picky?”

 

“We had bottles of water in the fridge. Didn't find out until I got into the room, again. Thank you, and I'll pay you for the noodles tomorrow.”

 

Danny turned to walk away, but again, was stopped by Charlotte.

 

“Wait up.” She spoke. He turned around, a piece of his hair falling into his face.

 

“Something wrong?”

 

“I'm technically on break, now. Want to sit and...catch up?”

 

Danny turned to look at the elevator, and back to Charlie. He was hesitant of doing anything with her this late, especially being that Lacey wasn't fond of her, either.

 

“I wish I could but Lacey's waiting for me.”

 

“But you've been running back and forth, up and down, for so long. Just relax for a minute.”

 

“I'll relax in my room, thanks.”

 

“Gosh Danny, what's so wrong about catching up with a friend?”

 

Danny looked into her confused and upset eyes, giving in for the moment. What harm could possibly come from hanging with a former friend right?

 

“Just for a few minutes, okay?”

 

Charlie grinned and nodded.

 

“Got it,” She came from around the corner, heading to the sitting area of the lobby. “So, how long have you been married?”

 

Danny sat beside her and smiled, yawning a little. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and looked back at Charlie, a small smile forming on his face with his answer.

 

“A little over a month.”

 

“Wow, newlyweds. What took you so long for the honeymoon?”

 

Danny thought for a moment and looked at his old friend, sensing the same girl he, too, spent his high school years with.

 

“Well, Lacey found out she was pregnant a little after we got married. It was Halloween when she told me, but we got married on the fifteenth of October. You can imagine my surprise.”

 

“That's so soon!”

 

“You can say that again.”

 

“Are you even ready? It seemed like it happened so suddenly.”

 

“Well, I love her, and I want to make sure that everything goes well with the pregnancy.”

 

“That's not what I asked.” He studied her look, which was cold and stern.

 

“I'm happy, no doubt, but I do question if I'm ready or not. I guess I have to warm up to the idea that once I head back to New York, I'm going to be a father, and not just to one baby, but to twins. Twice as much work.”

 

“You'll have a lot on your plate. You'll have a lot to deal with, a lot of sacrifices to make. No frivolous nights out with the guys.” Charlie laughed and placed her hand on his, her thumb smoothing over the back of it. Danny glanced down and quickly brought his hand away, running his fingers through his hair nervously.

 

“I wouldn't want that life with or without children. I love my wife, and I love my family. Lacey's the reason I had faith in going back to Green Grove. Our life, our childhood rests in the pavement of the bikes we rode together as kids, of the clubhouse we built. All that, I want to continue to share with her.”

 

He watched Charlie's expression change as he preached about his wife, remembering the secrets they've shared in Green Grove, too.

 

“Does Laney know about us?”

 

Danny caught her slip-up, ignoring her initial comment.

 

“Here name is Lacey.”

 

Charlie grinned, leaning closer to him slightly. She knew that she caught him in a question that she wanted to trap him in for so long, now.

 

“Well, does she?”

 

“There's nothing to even reflect on.” He spoke, standing up, ready to make a move to the elevator and away from Charlie. He took a few steps away from her, feigning a yawn to indicate his exhaustion.

 

“You mean, she still doesn't know about the time that we dated in high school? You weren't the only couple on and off again. We were, too.” She recollected.

 

“I gotta go.” He spoke, turning to walk away to the elevator. Though Charlie was small, she managed to hold a tight grip on Danny when he tried to make his escape.

 

“Where to? To your wife? The woman you claim to tell everything to, but forget to explain that you dated someone other than her?”

 

“That was in high school, and my marriage does not concern you.” Danny spat. Charlotte chuckled, shaking her head at Danny's behavior.

 

“She's jealous of me, I can tell. If I grab your arm, she'll snap, and if I pull you close, she'll lunge,” Charlie spoke. She stepped closer to Danny, placing her hand on the back of his neck, pulling him close to her face. Her gaze switched from his eyes to his lips, a slight smirk creeping on her face. “And if I kiss you, God knows what she might do not only to me, but to you, too.” She whispered. She brushed her lips against his, teasing him, then pressing them against hers. By habit, Danny closed his eyes but opened them when he remembered who he was kissing. Or better yet, who was kissing him. Danny pushed away from her, studying the girl as she fell back into her seat in the waiting area. Charlie winked at him, patting the seat beside her so that she could finish whatever she could get out of him.

 

Instead, Danny stood before her, this sultry look on her face, like an invitation. Yet, his heart told a different story than the one his eyes bore. He looked indifferent, but was distraught by how she would disrespect his marriage like that-a friend, who he thought he could trust. But, it was partially his fault, too. It was his fault for not doing anything in return before it could even escalate. He didn't know why he let himself succumb to her easy threats. Being responsible, he had to accept part of the blame.

 

He wiped his lips with the back of his hand, walking to the elevator, his finger slamming on the button hard with pure panic. It felt like insects were crawling up his skin at the thought of what had just occurred. He hated himself, knowing that that was another secret he would have to hold back from Lacey, momentarily. She was pregnant, and in the most early stages, too. It would be dangerous for both her and the twins to be exposed to that amount of stress, yet holding it off would be terrible for their relationship in return. Danny looked over his shoulders, at Charlotte, seeing her seated at the lounge area, watching him. He watched as a small grin grew on her face. She raised her hand slowly, giving a small, flirtatious, and _dangerous_ wave to him.


	14. Chapter 14

This certainly wasn't Danny's night. Lacey had made several trips to the bathroom, repeating the “dinner” she had, about two hours prior. But now? It was two thirty and he still hadn't gotten any sleep. His face was buried in the pillow being nauseated from the constant sounds of heaving coming from deep in her throat.

 

Lovely.

 

All the while he laid there, instead of comforting his reluctant wife, he just reflected. He hated himself and he hated that it had only been two hours, and she wasn't even informed of the brief action that had occurred between him and Charlie. That was a problem. A problem he didn't know how to fix, and a problem he knew that if he were to approach, she'd be devastated and take it the wrong way. But could he blame her?

 

He listened as the toilet flushed, while she washed her hands and rinsed out her mouth in the sink. He walked over to their duffel bags, looking for her medicine bag, taking out her bottle of Prenatal vitamins, and shaking them in his hands as a reminder to her. The sink stopped running as she walked out of the bathroom, weak with lack of sleep and her repetition of her dinner. She looked at Danny who was standing in the middle of the room, holding the pill bottle out to her, a hopeful smile on his face.

 

“The doctors said that they helped with morning sickness, didn't they?”

 

Lacey went over to him, snatching the bottle out of his hands.

 

“If I can't even keep my food down. What makes you think I can keep my pills down?” She climbed in the bed, laying on her side, facing away from him.

 

“I was just suggesting it.” Danny spoke, walking over to the wall to turn the lights off so they can, for the third time that night, try to get some rest. But did it really matter? The honeymoon wasn't as lavish since she was sick and wasn't as hopeful since Charlie was there. Wouldn't the better option be to just go home?

 

Lacey gave out a disappointed sigh as she watched him head back to the bed. Once he climbed back in the bed, she turned over, looking up at him as he sat up in the darkness.

 

“I'm sorry. I just don't like the fact that I pretty much ruined the vacation.” She confessed. Danny glanced down at her, stroking the side of her face. She was so beautiful, and the thought of losing her killed him inside. He made vows, specific, handwritten vows to express his love for her further, and he knew that if he confessed right now, it would be like he broke them. His life could be torn forever.

 

“You didn't.” he spoke softly, moving away from her. Lacey continued to stare at him, getting this type of vibe that told him that something was on his mind. That something was troubling him.

 

“Are you okay? You seem...tense.” She spoke, running her finger down his back that was facing her. Danny, disregarding her actions, sat up quickly and looked at his wife. He hesitated to speak for the moment, but his stomach was now the one that felt outrageously full and heavy. He trembled a little, though Lacey hadn't noticed. He had hoped that she couldn't see that his eyes were watering in the darkness of the hotel room. He silently begged her to believe that the glossy eyes were a result of the moon shining in on them. And yet, like actual vomit, his words forced themselves from his mouth.

 

“Maybe we should just leave Virginia, since you aren't feeling well.”

 

Yet, those weren't the words he wanted to profess.

 

He watched as Lacey's concerned expression turned guilty as she looked down and back at him.

 

“But we drove all this way. It took us seven hours to get here, Danny.”

 

Danny's head spun from exhaustion and everything that was going on tonight.

 

“I know, but I don't want to force you on a tour when we can just...go back home. We can leave at eleven and be back at home by six. What do you say?”

 

Lacey dreaded the fact that he wanted to leave so suddenly, though she agreed that she wasn't in much of a condition to tour Virginia any longer. Lacey shrugged a shoulder and gave a small, “Sure” before turning over to go to sleep.

 

Danny quickly laid down in bed, pulling the covers to his chin, holding them tight as he closed his eyes, hoping that nothing had even happened today, and that he hadn't even seen Charlotte since years ago.

 

–

 

She was staring again, and it bothered him to see that the two women were exchanging eye contact this early in the morning. It was only nine, and he knew how stressed out Lacey was just from last night's events and this morning from seeing her face. He pushed around the cereal in the plastic container, as other temporary residents of the hotel dined in the lobby. He brought a spoon full of Cheerios to his mouth, glancing at Lacey before slurping it in. He saw her, now with her head in her hands, visibly upset by the sight of her.

 

“Do you want some Cheerios?” He asked, yet again. Lacey declined any sort of food, fearing that she'd have another pregnancy episode right in front of everyone, ruining their breakfast, too. She shook her head, making eye contact with him.

  
“I said I'm not hungry,” She snapped softly. Danny looked at his wife and simply turned back to eating breakfast, hurrying himself along so that they could check out so quickly. “And it doesn't help that your little girlfriend over there is exhibiting stalker tendencies.”

 

Danny could feel his stomach sink as she said the word 'girlfriend'. He snickered a little and with a shrug of his shoulder, he looked back at his wife.

 

“Why would you say that she's my girlfriend?”

 

Lacey looked at him, narrowing her eyes as she grinned, shaking her head.

 

“She's still hung up on you, and it's obvious. You guys practically had eye sex yesterday.” She teased. Danny forced out a laugh, shaking his head, as hair slipped from his bun and into his face. Lacey leaned forward, tucking the hair behind his ear, as she glanced over to the front desk where Charlotte was.

 

“Well, let's not let it get in the way of our time.” Danny smiled, standing up. He tossed his cereal bowl in the garbage, grabbing hold of their duffel bags as Lacey carefully followed beside him. Danny stopped walking as soon as he saw Lacey standing still, a panicked expression on her face.

 

“Go check out, I'll be right back.” She spoke, holding her mouth as she hurried to the nearest restroom on the lobby level. Danny sighed to himself, walking to the front desk, his heart beating faster than he could have ever imagined. He thought his knees were jell-o, and that just by looking at Charlie, he'd never forgive himself for what happened last night.

 

However, despite his worries, Danny made it to the front desk, a straight face, wanting to leave as soon as he could.

 

“Morning sickness?” Charlie asked, a slight grin on her face. Danny nodded quickly and, in annoyance, snapped.

 

“We're checking out. Here's our keys, I don't need a refund. Good-bye.” He spoke, slamming the cards on the front desk, attempting to walk away but paused when he heard Charlotte laughing.

 

“You didn't tell her yet, did you? Sucks for you, Desai, because I'm coming back to Green Grove in the winter.”

 

Danny inhaled and exhaled, attempting to calm himself down.

 

“Look, I don't know what joy you get out of breaking up my family, but you need to stop. Lacey is my wife, and I've known her all my life. I will not let you ruin what we have.” he spoke sternly. Danny watched as her expression of pure manipulation turned softer, as she saw how serious he was. Danny turned around, ready to huddle to the lounge area for Lacey to exit the bathroom, but paused when he saw her standing behind him.

 

Her face told stories of being solemn and hurt, though she looked at Danny like everything would be okay. She smiled, though she truly felt like showing emotion, to her dismay. Lacey walked over to the front desk, standing in front of Charlotte, placing her left hand in front of her face, revealing her gold wedding ring, decorated with diamonds and an engraving of their initials inside.

 

“I won't allow myself to get too worked up over you since I'm pregnant. However, I've come to the conclusion that it's not worth it to be envious of trash. That's not classy, though it's not like you know the difference between classy and trashy anyway, right?” Lacey asked softly and calmly.

 

Charlotte stared at her, hesitant on whether she should destroy Danny further. Her eyes glanced at him, as he had his hand on his wife's shoulder, wanting to hurry her along.

 

“I bet Danny has something-”

 

“Save it. The next time you see my face, remember who shares a home and twins with it.” Lacey snapped. Charlotte stood there, seemingly defeated, as she watched the couple walk towards the exit. Charlotte looked over her shoulder to see if anyone, whether coworker or guest, were heading her way, but continued back to her computer when she saw no one making an effort to her desk. She googled a website, her long and slim, polished nails, dancing quickly along the keyboard, typing in 'Danny Desai, Green Grove, NY'. She waited as they pulled up results, such as articles on occurrences dating back to when he was eleven and the most recent one just days ago. She grinned to herself, clicking on the article, seeing a brief address and picture of their home with the title: **DANGEROUS DUO: Desai Family Released From Green Grove County Precinct.** _Chief Masterson holds another suspect in custody._

 

Charlotte located the print button, walking away from her computer, and to the printer, waiting as the paper processed. Once it completed, she held it in her hands. The black and white image of their home would look nicely on her walls. She folded it up, slipping it into her back pocket, as she exited her recent search for him. Seeing a guest arrive at the hotel, she smiled sweetly.

 

“Hello, do you have a reservation available?”

 

Danny tossed the duffel bags in the trunk, slamming it down quickly, not realizing his aggressive behavior. Lacey noticed how agitated he seemed, watching him get into the car quickly.

 

“Slow down,” Lacey grinned. Danny sighed and turned to his wife, shrugging a shoulder. “You're acting strange.”

 

“Lacey, there's something I need to tell you.” He spoke softly. Lacey held his hand and smiled.

 

“Trust me.” She spoke softly, a smile on her face.

 

Danny hesitated to even say anything, and debated whether or not speaking out was the best thing to do right now. He looked down and back up at Lacey.

 

“Charlie and I,” He began trembling, though he had hoped that Lacey didn't notice. He rolled down his window, feeling suffocated by the heater in the car that blasted in their faces. He unzipped his jacket some, trying to distract himself from even bringing on the subject that gnawed in his brain, refusing to let him think clearly. There wasn't a doubt at the shame he felt, though there wasn't a doubt that Lacey would be upset, either. He had to do it, he forced himself to. “We dated in high school. That's why she's so stuck on me.”

 

Lacey thought for a minute and chuckled a little.

 

“I can't say that it wasn't obvious.”

 

He turned to her, a smile plastering itself on his face.

 

“You knew?”

 

“I always had my assumptions, even back then. But, still, it's high school, and it was so long ago. I mean, we're married now. It's not like we're still dating. Marriage is a much more sacred bond, you know? Nothing could break that. Not even confessing who you dated in high school,” She grinned, holding his hand. Yet, even though he appeared to have spoken everything that was on his mind, she couldn't help but still feel compelled to ask further. “Is there anything else bothering you?”

 

_Yes. Lacey, I totally betrayed your trust. Charlotte kissed me last night, and I don't know what happened._

 

Danny shook his head, looking past her as if he were looking into his own mind.

 

“Nope, nothing else.” He forced a smile on his face, as though that would help.

 

“Good, I'm glad we can be honest with one another.” She spoke, kissing his cheek.

 

Danny pulled out of the driveway, feeling sick himself. Perhaps her morning sickness had passed on to him? Or was he just too shook up in his own thoughts that he knew that if this remained a secret any longer, Lacey would get the wrong idea and divorce him. He couldn't help but feel like each day that passed by, their bond grew thinner and thinner. Which would have been better to hear?

 

 _Last night Charlotte kissed me?_ Or _Two years ago, Charlotte kissed me._

 

He mentally beat himself up over it, depression coming over him as he drove, listening to his wife happily sing to the radio, wishing that he could, too, take part in her jovial behavior.

 

\--

 

The words escaping from his wife's mouth didn't really matter, at the moment. All he could do was stare at the walls, while different shades of yellow lined the nursery. They were starting to place deliveries for a crib, though Karen insisted that they shouldn't have to spend money on things like that. They were considered gifts for the twins, just a few days before the baby shower. Danny, his hand clutching hers, began listening after she called his name.

 

“Danny?”

 

Danny jumped a little, feigning a smile directed at her.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Did you hear a word I just said?” She looked skeptical, but decided to make sure, anyway.

 

“Of course.” Truthfully, he didn't. He heard her, but he wasn't listening. After what happened last month, it was hard to focus on festivities such as their second month-aversary of being married and the fact that Christmas was tomorrow. It was hard to share in the festivities with Lacey, though he wanted so desperately to make her happy.

 

Lacey raised an eyebrow and grinned.

 

“I hope you didn't open your gift and you're acting neutral because it's not what you wanted.” She teased.

 

Danny pulled her close, holding onto her.

 

“Of course not. Maybe you're blaming me because you did!” He teased back. He forced himself to go back to normal since they came back from their day-cation, though it didn't work as easy as he had hoped. He looked around the room, seeing the rocking chair and beautiful tile that he had put down last week. His hand reached down, rubbing Lacey's small baby bump, as he grinned, the first sight of the twins since it was revealed that she was pregnant.

 

A knock coming from downstairs caused Danny to stop his action. He turned to Lacey who made the innocent face, wanting him to get the door for her.

 

“I have to use the bathroom.” She spoke as she quickly walked into the bathroom across the hall. Danny quickly trailed down the stairs opening the door. Some snow blew in from outside, as a UPS man stood on their front steps, shivering, a large package by his side.

 

“What's this?” He spoke.

 

“Sign here.” he spoke, handing the device to him. Danny quickly signed, watching the man hurry away and to his car. He dragged the large package inside, closing the door, goosebumps lining his arms and legs from the breeze of the snow. Danny brought it to the living room, walking to the kitchen quickly to get a knife to undo the tape on the edges.

 

“What's that?” Lacey asked. He heard his wife coming down the stairs from the kitchen. He walked into the living room, seeing her standing there, looking at the object.

 

“I don't know.”

 

“Where did it come from?” She asked, sitting on the couch on the opposite of where the package was.

 

“I don't know,” he repeated, looked around the box for any type of package label. He found it, seeing it being mailed to their address from Baby's-R-Us. “Apparently Baby's-R-Us sent it.”

 

“But I didn't order anything.”

 

“Neither did I.” Danny spoke, hesitant on whether to open it or not.

 

“Open it.” She encouraged. Danny slit the taped parts, opening it carefully. He opened the box, seeing a black and white photo folded. He unfolded it in the box so that Lacey couldn't see, and nearly snapped when he saw what it was. He crumbled up the photo, looking around and seeing what else was inside. A stroller for twins and a book, “The Single Mother's Handbook”. Danny felt his heart crumble as tears forced their way into his eyes, though he refused to let them fall. He looked up at Lacey, shoving the book all the way underneath the stroller.

 

“Call your mom and ask if she ordered us a double stroller.” He spoke. Lacey walked over and peeked inside the box, looking around.

 

“There isn't an order confirmation?”

 

“I checked, there's nothing there.” He spoke, rather harshly. Lacey looked at him, and hurried upstairs to get her phone and call her mother. Downstairs, Danny sat, unfolding the black and white photograph on computer paper. There, facing him, was the image of Charlotte holding the side of his face, getting ready to kiss him, a smug smile on her face, while Danny's was merely expressionless.  


	15. Chapter 15

The boxes that lined the living room with yellow and green wrapping paper disappeared, and upstairs to Lacey and Danny's bedroom, while she rested on the couch, rubbing her stomach as gentle pounds from inside met her hands. She grinned a little, staring down at her huge stomach as the twins partied inside from the earlier baby shower that had just ended. Danny jogged downstairs, his hair in a messy bun, from working so much, all day. When Lacey was resting, and had achy feet, he massaged them, and even kept the guests entertained by the stories of their pregnancy journey together, which did get laughs from the guests that heard it. Except, one pregnancy story that was kept in the dark, for fear of judgments and Lacey.

 

As for Lacey, with her new, rounded belly, she found it hard to move around by herself, and relied on her ever so helpful husband to guide her around, even when she wanted to try to walk on her own. Danny walked towards her, picking up her feet, and sitting next to her, resting her legs on his lap as he stroked them gently. It was terribly adorable how excited he got when anyone asked him about the twins, but once his husband senses tingled, there was no doubt about how loving he were to his swollen wife.

 

She grinned at him, and grabbed his hand, placing it on her belly. Danny studied her stomach, as if he didn't want to get near it, in fear of hurting Lacey unintentionally, yet his face lit up, his eyes smiling, when he felt his twins moving.

 

“I felt them.”

 

“They're having their own after party.” She smirked. The sex of their twins remained a mystery, though they liked to consider it a surprise to them both, though their families were both on edge about the whole secretive ordeal.

 

“Only two more weeks to go, right?” He smiled.

 

Lacey nodded, closing her eyes and resting her head on the pillows behind her.

 

“I'm really hungry.” She whined. Danny thought for a moment, remembering how Lacey got fussy when he asked to take a bite of the cake for their baby shower. To Lacey, she was always hungry, tired, or even achy.

 

“Well, what do you want?” He spoke, rubbing her belly for her. The amount of back pain she experienced was incredible, though he still found his ways to her lower back, rubbing gently to help make her as comfortable as possible.

 

“Do we have anymore cake?” She smiled innocently at him.

 

Danny thought about the small slice he had left for himself, so that he could be able to try it, but smiled, unselfishly walking to the kitchen to give her his piece.

 

“Coming right up.” He called.

 

Lacey sat up quickly, hearing someone knocking from the other side of the front door. She relaxed herself, feeling that if it were a family member, she would pretend she was asleep so that she couldn't be bothered. Danny hurried to the door, placing the cake back on the kitchen table, opening it. A familiar, but not so charming face stared back at him, smiling. Danny glanced over his shoulder at his seemingly sleeping wife.

 

“What the hell are you doing here?”

 

Charlotte batted her eyelashes his way, tilting her head to the side curiously.

 

“Was now a bad time,” She questioned, looking past him and at Lacey. Lacey's eyes opened quickly as the irritating voice from months ago rang in her ears. Lacey grabbed the edge of the couch as her way of helping herself up. She waddled near the front door, but keeping her distance from her, though Danny couldn't blame her. Charlotte seemed unstable, but also showed her immaturity at the sight of Lacey's belly. “Wow, Lacey, you got even more _fat._ ”

 

“It's called being pregnant,” She snapped. “I really don't have many questions as to why you're scantily dressed at night.”

 

Charlotte pouted her way, ignoring her insult and turning back to Danny.

 

“So, did you like my gift?” Charlie spoke, walking slowly inside the house. Danny stood in front of her, shielding his wife from whatever Charlie had wanted to do to her.

 

“What gift?” Lacey asked.

 

“Danny didn't tell you? I gave you _two_ gifts on Christmas.” Charlie grinned at her, holding up two fingers.

 

Lacey turned to Danny, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as her fists rested on her hips.

 

“What is she talking about?”

 

“Charlotte sent us the stroller...and something else.”

 

“How did she even find our address? How did you know she sent it to us. I thought it was mailed from Babys-R-Us.”

 

“I'll leave you guys alone to talk,” Charlie spoke, turning to walk out the front door. Instead, before she could leave, she turned around, smiling at Lacey. “Oh, and just in case you need a lawyer, my uncle is good with divorces.”

 

Lacey huffed, rushing to Charlie, raising her hand to slap her. Charlotte stumbled backwards, holding the side of her face, flipping her hair out of the way so she could see Lacey. Danny watched her eyes, noticing that Charlotte had glanced at Lacey's stomach, aiming to cause injury there. However, before she could do so, Danny grabbed Charlie by the waist, despite her struggle to get out of his grasp, and placed her outside of their house. Danny quickly reached for the door, pushing it closed, though Charlie tried her best to force the door open.

 

“Don't ever mess with my family, bitch.”

 

“Sweetheart, after tonight you won't even have a family.” Charlie implied, as she attempted to fix her hair. Danny slammed the door closed, locking it, as Charlie screamed from outside the door, pounding on it, hoping to get back in.

 

“What is she talking about?” Lacey asked, huffing, trying to catch herself.

 

Danny thought for a moment, his nerves causing him to shake as he looked at her. Then it dawned on him that this was not the way he wanted to tell Lacey. Truthfully, he had no idea how to even say it, if he chose to keep it a secret longer.

 

Danny forced himself to say it, as his heart nearly jumped from his chest. He didn't know how to approach her without her wanting to smack him, next.

 

“Lacey, I'm sorry, I-”

 

“Just say it!” She screamed. Danny stared at her. The whole time they've been together, Lacey had never shouted at him, nor raised her voice that loud. If anything, even through their arguments, they just were sarcastic towards one another, and certainly not as harsh.

 

“When we went to Virginia, and you wanted food, Charlotte was working the late shift that night. We talked for a bit and,” he paused for a moment, as the screaming outside stopped. Lacey walked towards the door, looking out of the peephole, seeing Charlie walking away from the house, running down the street while their neighbors across the street shown a flashlight in her face. Lacey faced him, her arms crossed over her chest as she studied him. “She kissed me.”

 

It took a few seconds before Lacey picked up what Danny was trying to convey. She looked away, a smile to hide her pain planting itself on her face. She held her stomach, turning and walking upstairs.

 

“Do you believe me,” he called, walking behind her. He followed Lacey up the stairs, grasping onto her wrist. “Lacey.”

 

“Don't touch me.” She spoke, snatching her hand away from him. She held her hands up, staring at Danny as guilt flooded his eyes.

 

“Lacey, please, you have to believe me.”

 

“I don't have to believe anything you say.”

 

“I didn't tell you because I was scared of how you'd react. I don't want to lose you, Lacey. I wouldn't want to sacrifice all that we have.”

 

“You had months to tell me. I'm starting to wonder if Charlotte hadn't come over, would you even have said anything to me? Or would you have just kept quiet? It's like even though you're a man, you're still a child hiding secrets from me, Danny.”

 

Danny remained quiet, knowing how he wanted to keep their altercation a secret from her.

 

“Lacey, that kiss meant nothing. I already told you, she kissed me.”

 

“Like I haven't heard that before. Go on, next excuse. I'm waiting.” She shouted, walking the rest of the way upstairs and to their bedroom.

 

Danny paused at the staircase, wiping away the few tears that were beginning to fall. He walked up the stairs slowly, entering the bedroom, seeing Lacey pulling out dresser drawers, shoving his clothes into his duffel bag. Danny walked over, behind her, placing his hands around her, holding her, trying to make her feel that he were still the same man she had fallen in love with.

 

Lacey stopped momentarily, giving up briefly, before pushing him away, despite the grip he had on her.

 

“Get off of me! Get away from me!” She screamed. She brought her hands to her head, her temples pounding at the stress as she walked away from Danny, and to a corner in the room.

 

“Please just understand that I didn't want to.”

 

“Then why didn't you push her away before she could kiss you,” Silence smacked Lacey in the face as she shook her head. “I knew you didn't want the kids in the first place.”

 

“The twins are my kids, too. They're my responsibility.”

 

“Well you should've thought about that before you broke our vows.” Danny thought for a moment. He hadn't exactly broken the vows, did he?

 

“I want to show my love. I don't want my kids to grow up without a father for a good portion of their life. I don't want you doing this by yourself,” Danny reached down, grabbing her hands. “Lacey I love you.”

 

“It's too late,” Lacey's voice was dry and scratchy from screaming and her words were enough to churn his stomach. She walked past him, grabbing his duffel bag, and walking to the stairs, throwing it down the steps. “Leave your key.”

 

Danny stared at her, as Lacey simply looked down at the carpet. Anywhere but at Danny, knowing she'd break down if she saw him. It took a few seconds for Danny to realize that she wasn't changing her mind. He turned to walk away from her, carefully walking down the steps. Lacey watched from at the top of the steps, as he grabbed his things, shakily, and walking outside, slowly closing the door behind him. Lacey quickly walked to the window, seeing him heading towards the car. She pushed open the window, sticking her head out.

 

“No!” She called, pointing her finger at him. He looked up from the window, shoving his car key in his pocket, walking down the street.

 

Lacey took her time walking down the stairs, locking the front door and back door, sitting in the living room. Her body shook as the twins began kicking again, this time harder. She held her stomach, feeling sick this time, from the kicks, which were unusual. It was like the twins were calling out for her to stop her sadness, though she couldn't help it. She rubbed her stomach, a wave of mixed emotions passing through her body. She didn't know if she should smile because they were okay, or cry because of what had been revealed to her. And instead, she chose to cry, knowing that life had come to this.

 

–

 

He had used his shirt collar as his tissue and the back of his hand for runny noses. He had thanked God so many times that no one saw him walking, alone, with his bag of clothes. No one had seen him, he had hoped, and no one could judge him, now that his wife put him out. He rang the doorbell of his mother's house. After about two more rings, she finally came to the door. Karen saw her sons face, her smile quickly disappearing once she saw the duffel bag in his hands. She stepped to the side, letting him come in.

 

It nearly scared Danny how the house hadn't changed much since he was in high school. Everything was as it was, and everything was neat and clean, just like she liked it. He dropped his bag by the door, sitting in the livingroom in his father's chair. Karen hurried behind him, studying the lethargic look on his face before questioning further what happened between the couple.

 

She calmly sat in front of him as he slumped down, rubbing his eyes with his fists.

 

“What happened?”

 

Danny stopped rubbing his eyes and looked at his mother, who was shocked and concerned.

 

“Lacey kicked me out.”

 

“I can see that, but why?”

 

“Because when we were on vacation, Charlotte happened to work at the hotel that we were staying in, and something happened. She kissed me, and I didn't tell Lacey until now when Charlotte came over.”

 

Karen sighed, shaking her head.

 

“I never liked her,” She began. She studied how upset Danny was and cleared her throat. “Did it ever occur to you that if you told her the moment it happened, maybe she wouldn't be as upset? Waiting it out all this time makes it seem like you had something to hide.”

 

“I didn't want it to ruin our marriage. I felt that if I kept it a secret, she wouldn't know and it wouldn't hurt us.”

 

“But do you feel something for Charlotte?”

 

Danny looked into his mother's eyes, leaning forward.

 

“I wouldn't have married Lacey if I didn't love her or if I felt something for someone else.”

 

“But why did you let her kiss you?”

 

Danny struggled to find his words, and shook his head, resting it in his palms.

 

“I was tired, but I didn't want to kiss her. Charlotte has been a friend of mine for so long, and I was running up and down the hotel for Lacey. I just wanted a break. I needed to rest. I just...I wanted to forget everything for a bit,” He spoke. He reminisced on Lacey's beautiful smile, and the dimple that laid so delicately on her cheek when she grinned. He wanted to stroke her hair and feel the twins dancing about inside of her. But he knew that he had blown his chances, now. “At the time, I wasn't taking on the full responsibility of being a perfect husband for Lacey when she needed me most.”

 

Karen watched her son and sighed, walking over to the door, grabbing his duffel and heading to the stairs. Danny glanced over his shoulder, seeing his mother making her way upstairs. She made a gesture, urging him to follow her. She walked into his bedroom, and smiled, breathing in heavily and looking at Danny, who looked depressed.

 

“Give her some space, Danny,” She began. Danny went and sat on his bed, kicking off his boots. “We'll figure this out, together.”

 

Danny looked at his mother, nodding, thanking her for taking him in, again. Karen left the bedroom, leaving Danny to himself. He wanted to rest, he needed to just let out every type of emotion there was, but he couldn't. He dared himself not to look at the background on his phone, which was their first kiss on their wedding day. He dared himself not to take off his ring and analyze her initials on it, for the fear of realizing that their marriage would soon be tainted by his foolish mistakes.

 

–

 

Danny's leg impatiently bounced while sitting in the hospital waiting room. Karen was quietly reading a book, while Clara, cuddled up next to her boyfriend, gave suspicious looks towards Danny while he sat there, waiting for the doctor and Judy to come back and say that the twins had been born.

And that clock.

God, that annoying ticking nearly sent Danny over the edge. It was too quiet, without the occasional crisp pages of Karen's book disrupting his thoughts every now and then. Lacey shook hands with the doctor, as Judy held onto her daughter's arm, guiding her out of the hospital room and to the waiting area. Everyone was brought to their feet in confusion at seeing Lacey, obviously still pregnant. However, it shouldn't have come as much of a shock to her when she saw Danny there, too. It had been a week since they had last seen each other, though pictures didn't count, much. Even though she was upset and clearly exhausted, she was still beautiful, and still bore her pregnancy glow that made Danny admire how strong his wife was without him by her side.

 

“What's going on?” Clara asked as she gripped her boyfriend's hand. He winced a little, as Danny took a few steps forward. Lacey glanced at him, and made eye contact with everyone else as she spoke.

 

“False alarm. They're Braxton Hicks contractions.” An embarrassed grin crossed her face. Karen rushed over to her, hugging her as Clara and joined in with her and Judy. Danny glanced at Clara's boyfriend, awkwardly standing there, as the girls hugged. The hugged ceased, as the women broke away. A few uneasy looks were exchanged towards Danny, as Judy quickly decided on a topic.

 

“Well, let's get her some rest, huh.” Judy spoke, holding Lacey's hand. Lacey rubbed her stomach, waddling beside her mother, while Danny watched.

 

“Wait,” Danny called. Everyone turned around to face him, eager to know what he had to say. He hesitated for a moment, brushing his hair out of his face as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Lacey, can I talk to you for a moment?”

 

Lacey sighed and looked at her mother, who patted her on the back, releasing her hand. Danny took her arm gently, walking by the vending machine in the waiting area of the hospital. He studied the machine and Lacey, taking out his wallet and pulling out a dollar.

 

“Want a snack?” He grinned.

 

“What do you want, Danny? It's three in the morning, and I'm tired.” Her voice was harsh and her face showed no sign of amusement with his charm.

 

“I want to apologize, and I want you to know that I understand that a simple sorry won't cut it, but I can't go a day without you, anymore. I'm dying, and I need you, in our home, together. We're gonna be alright. I promise. Just let me make it up to you.” He spoke, grabbing her hands. He caressed the back of it, glancing down, noticing the tan line on her ring finger, where her wedding ring was placed. He felt nauseated at the fact that she felt that they were separated. He inhaled gently, watching Lacey take her hands from him. She leaned forward.

 

“I need time to think.” Lacey confessed dryly as she tried to walk past him.

 

“Lacey please,” he nearly shouted out of frustration and fear. He ran his fingers through his hair nervously as he saw her turn around. Lacey turned around, staring at him, noticing his actions. He turned to the vending machine, pounding his fist on the glass. He looked at the machine and the snacks inside, noticing something. He forced a grin on his face, pointing to the vending machine. “I have Blue Ranch potato chips.”

 

Those words, the same words that had drawn Lacey to his house when she was a teenager. The same words that Lacey had succumbed to. She could see how hard he wanted her back, and how hard he was paying for his mistakes. She nearly forced herself not to call or text him, just to see how he was doing every night. The twins kicked inside, as her heart fluttered. She wanted, so desperately, to just grab his wrist and bring him home, but she didn't know where his priorities lied anymore. She swallowed, holding her belly, as she shifted her purse on her shoulder.

 

“Good-bye, Danny.” She spoke, giving a curt nod, before turning to walk out of the hospital. Danny stood there, his smile quickly dropping at the words that just came from Lacey's mouth. Frustration and resentment took hold of him. He didn't know how to be a perfect husband to her if she didn't let him try, and get a second chance. But his second chance had already occurred when they argued about his job months prior. He hated knowing that he wasn't there to give her back massages or pull her hair into a ponytail when she came under her nausea spells. He hated that she was back at Judy's house, in her bed, alone. He hated knowing that his chances of having a perfect family was now ruined because of one girl. One disrespectful hussy who couldn't bear to face the fact that he had moved on, and that he was happy. He understood that everyone blamed him, but what hurt the most was that he couldn't ever forgive himself for hurting Lacey this much.


	16. Chapter 16

It seemed too real that she had taken off her wedding ring for such a long time. The lack of a band around her finger led her to believe that he hand was bare and empty. Like something was missing. Or someone, rather. She didn't know how to handle seeing Danny, but all she wanted and all she had hoped for was that they'd make up somehow, and come to a conclusion about their marriage before the twins were born. At least it would have been a weight off of her shoulders, and surely his, as well. 

 

A purple duffel bag hung on her shoulder, ready to be planted right by the door for when her family would leave soon, just to head back to Judy's house. She had packed her bags so that when her water broke, she'd be ready, instead of sending her mother back and forth to the house to get a change of clothes for when she and the twins came home. Although Lacey was both nervous and ecstatic, being in her own house again to get prepared, Danny's charm wasn't present to warm her heart and ease her worried mind. That was one thing she missed about him. Despite the fact that she saw him earlier that day simply hurt her even more, and even though Danny was mostly the one who could easily ease her worried mind, he was the one that caused it, this time. 

 

Lacey struggled down the stairs, her belly extremely heavy this night as she planted her duffel on the couch next to Clara who was playing video games. Her mother was in the kitchen, cooking a meal, though it was three thirty in the morning. However, Lacey didn't mind. She felt that food was the best option right now, especially since she didn't get the chance to partake in her usual midnight snacks like doritos with whipped cream.

 

"Take it easy, I'm almost done with this level," Clara scowled as she glanced at her sister. She recognized the ill look on her face, quickly pausing the game and sighing. "You're not thinking about going back to him, are you?"

 

Lacey forced a grin on her face t her sisters accusations. She shook her head quickly, her bun revealing a curly piece of hair to her forehead. 

 

"Of course not." Lacey lied, sucking in her bottom lip to somehow ease the sick feeling she gathered. She hated getting mad at him, and they both knew it, but she was confused, just like 39 weeks ago when she, too, realized that she was pregnant. And their wedding day. Let's not forget that...

 

A knock came at the door. She was used to Danny always getting it, though when she was halfway there, Judy let out a guilty "Oh!" before rushing to beat Lacey to the door. Opening it quickly, there stood Karen, smiling with a box in her hands.

 

"Is now a bad time?" She asked. 

 

The Porters looked at Lacey, seeing if she were reluctant to speak with her mother-in-law or not. Lacey sighed in defeat. She wasn't too keen on the idea of speaking to both Karen and Danny, but gave in, knowing that Karen mostly meant well. 

 

"No, please, come in." Lacey spoke. 

 

Karen stepped inside, looking around at Lacey's home, while Lacey led her to the backyard, where they sat on the back porch. Crickets chirping filled the lonely parts of Lacey's mind as she tried her best not to loose her cool when Karen would surely ask how she's feeling. Not in regards to her pregnancy, but of course with Danny.

 

Karen let out a relaxed sigh as she enjoyed the slight breeze that assisted the early summer morning.

 

"Danny begged me not to come here, but I came anyway. You know, fighting isn't good for the twins." She suggested, turning to face Lacey, though she had other concerns on her mind.

 

"What's in the box?" Lacey asked, staring it with much curiosity. 

 

Karen paused for a moment, looking at her and chuckling.

 

"You know...I remember when I went into the bridal room of a lonely, hesitant girl. She didn't think I noticed, but I remember when she had running shoes in her bag, ready to leave a certain someone at the altar because she was confused." 

 

Lacey felt her heart drop. She remembered the night she spent, exhausted, thinking about all the worst memories she had with Danny. And yet, this beautiful, strong woman comes around and shows her a picture of her and Danny and their first kiss, and everything changes. All her plans to leave and call off the wedding was gone. And Danny never knew this.

 

"You didn't tell Danny, did you?"

 

"Of course not," she insisted. "But, all I'm saying is that everyone is flawed and sometimes we do things we shouldn't. I don't believe Danny kissed her, and neither do you, I bet." 

 

Lacey inhaled deeply, taking in her bottom lip as she thought of her plan to leave Danny, even though he never left her when she announced the pregnancy.  And yet, that word that she feared came back to haunt her. 

 

"You don't think I'm selfish, do you?"

 

Karen faced her completely, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I never have," she smiled. "But all I'm saying is that we all make mistakes, and we all have ways of going about them. You're a very important factor in Danny's life. A factor he couldn't ever dream of losing again." 

 

"But, he hid this from me," Lacey began. She stopped herself, seeing Karen's blank expression. Lacey thought for a moment, an embarrassed smile on her face. "But I wanted to leave him at the altar." 

 

Karen looked down at the box she held in her hands, taking out the photograph and many more from their wedding, the dress fitting, and the ultrasounds of the twins. Lacey gently reached for the picture of them as kids, having their first kiss. Lacey smiled, trying to fool herself in thinking that she could defeat the tears, but stopped once she felt one falling down her cheek. 

 

"You'll make up your mind." Karen whispered as she stood up, walking back into the house. A cool breeze crossed Lacey's cheeks, brushing the tear aside slightly as she flipped through the other. She flipped through another picture, seeing both her and Danny together on her prom night. The look on her face showed a sadness that she couldn't brush aside. The mere thought of her ever being ashamed of dating him made her cringe. This was the man she loved. The man she wanted to hide. The man she almost left at the altar on October 15th. She loved Danny, and she'd see the difficulty of facing responsibilities just she did, instead of blaming him. Lacey covered her mouth as her eyes closed tight, sobbing into her hand to muffle the noise so that no one would hear her. 

 

She calmed herself, drying her eyes with her hands and standing with the box to go back into the house and potentially sleep off the stress. Lacey walked to the doors, sliding them to the side to enter the house, but stopped. She felt a slight pop, holding onto her belly, as liquid gushed from inside her. Lacey leaned on the wall, feeling soaked from her water being broken. She waddled into the living room, seeing Karen sitting beside Clara on the couch as she and Judy argued.

 

"It's not Danny's fault! Lacey misunderstood the situation that happened between him and Charlotte. That's all!"

 

"Yeah well, your son shouldn't have spoken with her in the first place!" Judy shouted.

 

Lacey held the bottom of her stomach, her knees shaking slightly as she felt light headed.

 

"Mom?" She asked.

 

"Excuse him for being an adult and wanting to speak with his friend for a bit, even though its actually her fault!" 

 

"The tramp," Judy mumbled. "Excuse my language." 

 

"Judy!" Lacey yelled. 

 

"Yes, dear?" Judy asked calmly. The corners of Lacey's mouth curled upward with joy and slight worry as she announced her situation.

 

"It's time. This isn't a false alarm. I'm gonna have the twins tonight." 

 

–

 

Lacey gripped the bars on the side of her bed tightly while the contractions reached its peak. Her mother brushed her hair out of her face, pushing loose strands from her face as beads of sweat lined her forehead. Lacey threw herself on the pillow, the uncomfortable pressure on her pelvis making it hard to relax, even when she had the opportunity to. She turned to her mother, opening her eyes as she saw her, smiling down at her.

 

“You're doing wonderful.” She assured, nodding her head slowly. Lacey turned away, rolling her eyes as she grabbed some water, gulping it down as slamming the empty cup on the side. She tried to catch her breath, rubbing her belly in circular motions as she shook her head.

 

“When can I just start pushing already?”

 

“You're dilated by only eight centimeters. You need to be ten centimeters to push.” Her mother explained. Lacey gave a defeated, and worrisome laugh, which soon ceased as she winced at the uncomfortable feeling. It felt like they had gotten heavier than usual, and the kicks seemed much more intense. She closed her eyes for a moment, hoping to build in a quick nap, though her restless mind couldn't be ceased, even for just a few moments.

 

Lacey's eyes opened at the sound of the door closing. She turned, facing the door, seeing Danny standing there, something behind his back. Lacey looked him over. He looked disheveled, and his mustache and goatee appeared thicker.

 

“You're gonna shave that, right?” She teased with a straight face, though Danny caught on. He calmly walked over to the seat by her hospital bed, a grin on his face that she broke the ice first.

 

“Maybe, maybe not.” He taunted back as he watched her. Lacey sighed, looking out the window at how the sun would soon begin rising soon. The silence between them after a brief conversation perked Danny up for the surprise he held behind her back. He placed it on the bed, causing Lacey to look his way and down at the manuscript of a piece he had worked on during the time she had kicked him out.

 

Lacey picked it up, holding it before her, as she read the title: _The Socio & The Twins._

 

She flipped through the pages, all two hundred and seven of them, but focused on the first page, reading it carefully though the annoying twinge of contractions beginning to start again slightly distracted her:

 

_If there's anything that I've learned in life, it's that remaining quiet and not_

_being open with your spouse is what truly hurts a relationship._

_You spend your days hoping for the perfect marriage and the_

_perfect life, but in the end, what makes it perfect is that you_

_remain true to one another. I do not consider myself a man, until_

_I am fully able to show support and responsibility towards my wife_

_who is carrying the most precious gifts of all time-our twins. I am_

_not a man because I am over the age of twenty. I am not a man_

_because I can afford such lavish things. I am a man because I_

_am willing to accept my faults and accept where I have flawed._

_I am a man because I am ready to face responsibilities that_

_come with fatherhood so that I can prove to my wife that I am,_

_100%, worthy of three pm naps, diaper changes, and the love_

_that a man can show his kids, and also fulfill the vow that I've_

_made with my wife as I stood before her, hand-in-hand._

 

Lacey placed the manuscript down, staring at her ringless hand. She covered it with her right hand, ashamed, and looked at Danny, unsure that the feeling she got in her stomach was butterflies or a “symptom” of being in labor. The mild contraction wore off quick, as she handed it back to him.

 

“Did you send it to your agent?”

 

“I had planned on it tomorrow morning, but the twins are on their way, so I figured that work could wait a few more days.”

 

Lacey forced herself not to smile, remembering the talk she had with Karen just before her water had broke. She positioned herself so that she was now sitting up straighter instead of slumping in the bed. She held onto her belly with two hands, rubbing carefully, while she glanced at Danny who watched her in concern.

 

“Danny, I'm sorry.” She admitted softly. Danny raised a curious eyebrow as he raised his hand to stroke the side of her face.

 

“Why are you sorry?”

 

She moved away from his hand, looking at him.

 

“I know how it feels to be unsure about big steps that happen in life. I was so intimidated on our wedding day. I had plans on running away. I packed sneakers in my bag, and I wanted to leave, Danny.” Lacey confessed. She faced him, seeing the hurt in his face, though he believed it were now mutual that they were equally hurt by the concealed truth.

 

“What made you go through with it?”

 

Lacey thought for a moment, knowing exactly who it was who helped her come to her senses when she needed someone the most. Karen had helped Lacey from the beginning. She popped up with the picture for the wedding and did the same for when she had kicked Danny out.

 

“Your mom.” She whispered breathlessly as she gazed at him. She reminisced on the day that she had said yes to Danny, promising to always be truthful to him, as he did the same. It wouldn't hurt to see things from each others view and compromise.

 

Lacey leaned forward, one hand on the back of his neck, bringing him in closer as their lips met. The twins kicked inside, as though they knew that their parents had begun the stages of making up. Danny cupped Lacey's face in his hands, deepening the kiss as Lacey smiled, her lips still on his as she removed his hand from her face, bringing it to her stomach so he could feel the twins. They pounded against his hand as Danny rested his forehead against hers, gently kissing her nose as he smiled.

 

“I guess the twins are having a party in our honor.” He smirked.

 

Lacey gave a genuine smile, a smile that Danny hadn't seen for a week, now, which soon ceased, as contractions hit in heavier than before. She grabbed Danny's hand, squeezing tight as the pain kicked in. Lacey managed to sneak a glance at Danny, who looked concerned at the pain that she was going through, but stayed by her side until the doctors arrived, ready to help her deliver. They placed Danny in scrubs, getting him suitable for when Lacey would begin delivering.

 

–

 

The glow from the sunrise beamed in through the window and on the twins that were in Danny's arms. They were so quiet, and so beautiful, sleeping soundly as he held his sons close to him in both arms. Lacey's hair dropped in her face while she stared at the twins, a delightful smile spread on her lips, as she looked up at Danny who was gazing down at them. Their beautiful, mocha skin tone with a mixture of both his and Lacey's hair formed perfect, dark brown hair that Lacey knew would already fit their personalities. Danny watched as one of his sons yawned, smiling a little as they both inherited Lacey's dimples in their cheeks when they grinned briefly. They were their two little princes, and princes is what Danny and Lacey would treat them as.

 

Danny turned away from the twins for the first time since he held them both in his arms, looking at Lacey. Her eyes showed heaviness and exhaustion, though her smile was bright and glowing. She puckered her lips, just like when she were eleven, resulting in Danny kissing her back, briefly.

 

“You should get some rest.” Danny suggested in a soft whisper, careful not to wake the boys. Lacey shrugged, taking their first born son from his arms, leaving Danny to cradle the second twin carefully as he studied his features. The baby, though Danny had assumed he was asleep, pulled his arms out of the baby blue blanket the nurses swaddled him in, breaking free of the hold. Danny smiled, turning to Lacey who was busy holding onto her son, as well.

 

“I love you.” Danny smiled, waiting for a response from his wife. Lacey broke her gaze, a loving smile thrown at Danny.

 

“I'll always love you more.”

 

Lacey turned away from Danny, admiring the baby who had a mixture of their features. She grinned, leaning forward and kissing his forehead, watching as a slight smile grew on his face while his eyes remained closed. Lacey smiled, facing the window, seeing the sun rising more. She grinned, watching Danny gently rocking his son. She smirked, watching Danny's eyes close slowly. She slowly grabbed the baby from Danny as he turned to his wife, moving from her hospital bed to the chair in the corner. Lacey watched him slowly doze off, while her gaze shifted to the window beaming down on her sons. She grinned, as she witnessed four things that she really loved in life: Danny, early mornings, Daniel Kieran Desai in one arm, and Laith Julian Desai in the other.  


	17. Epilogue

Hesitation and anxiety overwhelmed her as she refused to look at the stick,  resting it on the edge of the sink as her leg bounced quickly at the thought. From outside the bathroom, she could hear kids playing in the twins bedroom, and the sound of adults laughing downstairs. But the noise that chilled up her spine the most was the sound of a little small beep, indicating that the pregnancy test was ready with the results. She grinned with reckless nerves, as she took the pregnancy test in her hands, reading the results. She quickly wiped off the tissue, shoving it far in the bathroom trash bin, and walking out of the bathroom after washing her hands. She peeped into the twins' bedroom, Laith with his party hat to the side with his Mohawk messily flopping into his face while he crashed cars together, and Danny, whose party hat was neatly on his head while he began coloring in his coloring books. 

 

Lacey watched as Jo's daughter Alex, walked shyly into the room, her hands behind her back as she watched the boys play. She stepped inside, ignoring Lacey, trying to quickly fit in. Her light brown shirley temple curls swung in the motion as she swayed back and forth on her tip-toes and heels, wondering if they'd accept into their room.

 

"I wanna play!" She demanded.

 

Laith turned to her and shook his head.

 

"Nuh-uh! You're a girl! You can't play with us!" Laith announced, pointing his finger at her.   Lacey watched as she turned away, ready to run away, but Danny came from his room, grabbing her hand. 

 

"You can play with me, Alex." He offered. Alex looked at Danny and wiped away imaginary tears as she walked back into the room with him. Lacey grinned, knowing that the boys had represented their parents so much. They were both considerate, though Laith took more on Danny's personality, while Daniel took on Lacey's personality. 

 

Lacey hurried downstairs, searching for her husband, but instead met Jo as Rico clung to her arm, slightly inebriated. Though they were only dating, they seemed perfectly comfortable with each other, even though marriage hadn't crossed their minds since Alex was born.

 

"How's Alex?" Jo asked, a touch curiosity mixed with worry controlling her thought process. Lacey grinned and shrugged a nonchalant shoulder.

 

"She's great! Danny is playing with her." 

 

"Good, good, I'm just worried. She's only three, you know." 

 

"Yeah well the twins are five, they'll take care of her. I promise," Lacey informed as she excused herself from Jo's presence to look for Danny. She turned, going out into the backyard where Danny was setting up the birthday cake, failing with his attempts at lighting the candles. Lacey snuck up behind him, wrapping her arms around her waist. "Guess who?"

 

"Let me guess...my crazy ex from senior year? Nah, nah, is that my wonderful wife who has an obsession with kicking me out?" He joked. Lacey laughed, watching as Danny turned around, kissing her. His hands went from her waist, attempting to lower themselves to her backside, squeezing firmly. Lacey jumped a little, grabbing his hand with a grin as he kissed her forehead. 

 

"I got a secret." She whispered, biting her lip with joy at what she was hiding from him.

 

"Is tonight sexy night? Because if it is, I'll call off the rest of the party and we can celebrate alone." He teased.

 

Lacey shook her head, giggling a little as she tip-toed to his ear, whispering the words, "I'm pregnant." 

 

She dropped back down to the ground, looking at his expression which turned into an excited grin. 

 

"You're joking."

 

"I just found out." She spoke, butterflies fluttering inside her stomach. 

 

"You mean, we're building a tribe?" Danny teased loudly, causing Lacey to laugh. He laced his fingers with hers as he kissed her forehead.

 

"I love you." She confessed to him, staring up at the man that she had fallen in love with.

 

"I love you, more," he grinned, bringing her back inside to the adult crowd. "Excuse me, I'd like to say that not only is this the celebration of our sons' birthday, but my wife had just informed me that we're having another baby." 

 

Lacey hung onto Danny's arm as people congratulated her and raised their glasses to toast them, as everyone but Lacey, drank champagne in their honor. Danny kissed her, inviting everyone outside in the backyard to see the cake. It was blue and green, with soccer balls for Laith, and Crayons for Daniel, for his passion with art. Danny, successfully, lit the matches, as he went inside,  calling the kids down from the room.

 

"Cake!" Laith screamed as he and his friends flew from the room and down the stairs, while Daniel and Alex walked carefully down the stairs towards the backyard, holding hands like a miniature couple. However, Daniel watched as Laith stood in the middle of the living room, curiously looking at something from outside the window.

 

Alex went outside to look for her parents, while the twins remained in the house.

 

"What are you looking at?"

 

"I sawed something." Laith spoke, pointing out the window. Behind the curtain and windows, they saw the silhouette of someone behind them. Daniel looked at the window, walking towards it, reaching on his tip-toes to pull the curtains over, seeing a man with a beard looking at the two of them from outside. Laith stood by his brother, staring at the man who looked like an older version of their dad. They watched as tears welled in the mans eyes as he saw them, a crooked smile on his face at the sight. 

 

"What are you two rascals looking at?" Lacey asked as she walked over to her sons. The twins turned to their mother, and back to the window, seeing that the man had nearly vanished before their eyes. She extended her hand for them to come take it, which they did. She led them away from the window and out to the backyard where the rest of the guests were.

 

"There was man! He looked just like daddy!" Laith cried.

 

"He had a beard, though!" Daniel assured. 

 

Lacey thought for a minute, unsure if the sinking feeling she got in her stomach was the twins description of him, or rather morning sickness setting in at the most impromptu time. She shrugged it off, for now, though her head filled with the thought of who they could have seen and why they were at their window. She couldn't hide this from Danny. 

 

"Hold on, folks!" Lacey cried as she dragged Danny into the house.

 

"What's wrong?" He asked, looking into her eyes. She thought for a minute and placed her hands on his shoulders.

 

"The twins said they saw someone. A man."  She spoke.

 

Danny snickered, shrugging a shoulder.

 

"They see people all the time. Remember the talking cat in the basement when they were two? Mrs. Biggles?" 

 

"This isn't their imagination, Danny. They said he looked liked you, except older. I caught them staring out the window, not just talking aimlessly." 

 

Danny thought for a moment, narrowing his eyes to the thought she was trying to imply.

 

"What are you saying, Lacey?" 

 

"I don't know. The thought might be absurd Danny, and I'm just guessing here," she began."But what if the man they saw was Vikram?" 


End file.
